Mischief And Me
by Skye Willows
Summary: Hank never realised what he was getting into when he began playing pranks on Connor: who knew the android had such a mischievous streak? In his defence, Connor blamed the lieutenant. He'd started all this in the first place. These are the misadventures of the father/son combo that is Hank and Connor.
1. Oops?

Hi everyone!

So, this story is going to be completely different from my other D:BH fic. While that one goes for the heart strings, this is going for the laughs. I'm not confident on writing humour, but I couldn't help it with these two. They deserve it.

Note: Most of this will just be drabbles. This first entry is longer so I can set up some background. I don't have a 'schedule' for this one, I'll just be adding to it as I get ideas.

 **Disclaimer: I don't own anything related to Detroit: Become Human, I am just a mere human having fun with the brilliant characters brought to life within.**

* * *

It was at the end of a long day of work that Hank led the way for he and Connor back into their house, smiling as the android was rapidly under assault from their dog. Connor smiled as he petted Sumo, a small laugh escaping when the giant dog started licking his face. "Sumo, down!" Hank called light-heartedly, raising an eyebrow when the dog started whimpering. "Don't give me that face, at least let Connor sit down before you start slobbering all over him."

Connor looked at him plainly. "I do not require extra time sitting, Hank. I spent 5 hours and 11 minutes sitting at my desk today, I think I have had quite enough time seated. In actual fact, I would not object to taking Sumo out for a walk. Some fresh air would be beneficial."

Hank scoffed. "Connor, you know the air round here ain't exactly fresh; if you want to take him out though, be my guest. I'll just organise some food while you're out."

The android gave him a firm look. "You aren't going to order more pizza, are you?"

"Hmph, who are you, my mother? I'm 53, Connor, I can order what I damn well feel like." At Connor's continuing look, Hank sighed in relent. "Oh all right, I'll get a Chinese or something, all right?" Connor smiled in triumph and walked through the house, looking for a change of clothes while Hank muttered under his breath. "Damn that kid, he knows that look works on me." Not that Hank would change him for anything.

It had been two months since the end of the uprising, and things had slowly started settling down. Although tensions were still high through the city, most crimes against androids were no longer anything more than the usual cases of racism and minor assaults. As the leaders of the new android liaisons department in the DPD, Connor and Hank were always busy. Now that they were almost six weeks into the running of their new team, however, they had many of the teething problems out of the way.

Connor had been living with Hank since the end of the uprising, the older man reluctantly acknowledging that Connor was a good influence on him. It had taken about a week for the pair to get comfortable around each other in a living situation, but they realised they were good for each other. Since Connor had come to live with him, Hank only drank heavily on stressful days or when the memories were just too close. It was a long journey to getting back to anything like the man he used to be, but Hank could tell Connor was dedicated to the task.

Hank's presence was also highly beneficial to Connor, helping the android slowly understand and learn the complexities of all the emotions which he had suddenly acquired. Connor never regretted going deviant, but the clash of so many emotions had him overwhelmed more than once. Hank had been there to help him name each emotion, understand the meaning behind it, and learn how to live with them. The older man had also helped Connor settle into a life of his own choosing. After some thought Connor had decided he wanted to stay working with the DPD, knowing the job suited him and it would allow him to spend more time with Hank. It also meant that Connor could be on the front lines of helping stop crimes against his people.

The older man was sitting on the sofa with a bottle of beer when Connor re-emerged in the living room, changed into some of the clothes which he and Hank had chosen on a shopping trip the previous week. Hank gave a low whistle in approval. "Looking sharp, Connor. Hope you're prepared to beat off a few girls," Connor gave him a withering look before going to fetch Sumo's lead, missing Hank's smirk. "Or a few guys if that's your preference."

Connor rolled his eyes at Hank's antics. "Why do you think I'm taking Sumo with me? He can have all the attention." Hank barked out a laugh as the android attached the lead to the dog. "I shouldn't be long."

Hank smiled at him affectionately. "Take your time, son, I'm not going anywhere." Connor smiled softly at Hank calling him 'son'. Though neither of them had really commented on the closeness of their relationship, they knew they cared deeply for each other by now. It was something Hank planned to clarify in the near future, should his hopes come to pass.

After Connor headed out Hank stood up and wandered through to his room, staring with a melancholy smile at the wardrobe in the far corner. Once Connor had come to live with him, Hank had finally faced his demons and began to move on from the loss of his son. It took only a few days for Hank to offer Connor the other room; it took another week for Connor to agree. Hank appreciated how careful Connor was to not encroach on such a sensitive subject, but he didn't want Connor to constantly tiptoe around Cole's memory.

He wanted to make new memories with the person he'd come to love like a second son.

Taking a deep breath to settle himself, Hank had wandered over to the closet and opened it up, looking at the various boxes which lay inside. Though he had moved all of the items out, Hank hadn't really found the want to sort through Cole's possessions yet. He didn't know why, but today he wanted to look through them.

Hank smiled at some of the clothes and toys he found in the first box, the expression growing as he found a photo of himself and Cole smiling brightly. They were grinning widely at the camera, both of them soaked through.

 _Cole always loved the water, and I don't think I'd ever seen him smile so much as when we tore through that packet of water balloons._

Following a hunch, Hank dug down further into that box and found an unopened packet of the same items. He looked on in mild surprise before a sly smile came to his face.

 _I wonder what Connor is going to think of this._

* * *

Connor returned an hour later, more than enough time for Hank to get set up with thirty or so water balloons. He still didn't really know why, but he was in a…fun, mood. It was something he hadn't felt for a long time – and he was more than ready to see how the android reacted to the prank.

When the front door opened Hank was laid out on the sofa, listening to some jazz music while watching the muted TV. He turned his attention to the newly entered pair and his eyes widened. "Jesus, Connor, did Sumo go digging in a graveyard or something? He's filthy!"

The android looked slightly guilty. "I may have taken Sumo to the park which is being redeveloped…and not anticipated his reaction to seeing a large amount of loose dirt. It took some time to convince him to come back."

Hank groaned in exasperation, but internally he was smirking. This was just perfect. "Well, you'd better take him out back and wash him down with the hose. I ain't having him in here when he's in that state." Connor nodded in acquiescence and urged the dog outside, missing the scheming smile on Hank's face. Once the android was outside with the hose, Hank fetched the bucket of water balloons he had hidden under the sink. He watched Connor soak Sumo and laugh as the dog huffed in annoyance before opening the kitchen window.

Once he turned on the kitchen tap to 'wash some dishes', Hank kept a careful eye on Connor. Then, once his back was turned, Hank picked up a balloon and hurled it through the air. Connor looked around in confusion when he felt the wet splash on his back, his eyes narrowing at Hank as the man kept his head down. He knew the window wasn't open when he first went outside…

Hank didn't look up again until he heard the water splashing over Sumo again, his smile sneaking through. He threw another balloon against the fence to Connor's left, and when the android turned his gaze to investigate it, his third balloon landed square on Connor's ear. It took a great effort for Hank to not burst out laughing at the complete confusion on Connor's face as he tried to shake some water out of his ear. _Oh kid, this is too easy!_

Changing his tactic, Hank stuffed a few balloons in his back pockets and wandered outside. "You okay, kid? You're looking a bit ragged," Hank shouted over to Connor.

The android looked at him suspiciously. "I am perfectly fine, Hank. Any particular reason you are outside?"

"Just making sure you don't soak yourself with that water as well as the dog. Looks like you've been failing if your hair is anything to go by," the older man teased, smiling when Connor narrowed his eyes at him. Mentioning when Connor's hair was out of place always wound him up.

Deciding to ignore the lieutenant, Connor turned back to cleaning the dog. Now with a clear opportunity, Hank pulled a balloon out of each pocket as he walked up behind the android – before slamming both of them down on his head.

Connor stayed perfectly still for a second before turning to stare at Hank unamused. Hank gave him a charming smile. "Oops?" he offered, missing the dangerous glint in Connor's eye.

He screeched as he suddenly found himself drenched from the hose which Connor still held. Hank panted as the stream was turned back to the dog, Connor smiling mischievously. "I apologise, Hank, it seems my hand slipped," Connor spoke lightly, his smile not moving.

"Ha! Slipped my ass, Connor!" Hank smirked as he chuckled. "Never took you for the vengeful type."

Connor shrugged. "And I never took you for one to play jokes."

Hank smiled, unsure. "I haven't been for a long time. Guess I just felt like it today."

As the older man went back inside to dry off, Connor watched him sadly. He hadn't missed the haunted look in Hank's eyes and his eyes fell to the broken rubber scattered around him. The events were a great surprise to him, but Connor couldn't help but see the fun side. If he was honest with himself, he enjoyed himself: there was a definite charm to what Hank had done.

If Hank was finally ready to look for more fun in his life, Connor was up for the challenge. He'd never seen that smile from Hank in real life before, the only reason he even knew it existed was from the same photograph Hank had found an hour earlier. Connor had seen it the day they packed away Cole's belongings, and Connor had retained that image in his mind. It was a sight he wanted to see more often.

His smile came back as he had an idea.


	2. Mind Your Mouth

Connor and Hank wandered in to the station with bright smiles, Hank ruffling Connor's hair before the two sat down at their desks. The android shot the lieutenant a dirty look while Hank laughed, walking over to the other side of the room to get an update on the events of the two days they had been off. It had been a great break, the pair simply enjoying each other's company while Hank introduced Connor to a few games.

As Connor began to embrace more sides of the 'humanity' emerging from his deviancy, Hank had discovered the android actually had quite the sense of fun. He was keen to try lots of different things, and Hank was finding the appeal to being the one responsible for that. After that first day of catching Connor with the water balloons a week ago, he'd been trying to find other opportunities. Thus far the chance hadn't come, but Hank knew it would only be a matter of time.

He didn't know Connor had begun his own plans.

While Hank was away Connor found himself looking at their various case files when he heard a raised voice on the other side of the station. He glanced to his right and quickly ignored it when he realised the ruckus was nothing more than one Gavin Reed complaining at how his latest partner had requested to transfer over to Hank and Connor's team. He didn't know why, but Connor felt a slight sense in victory at hearing that. Maybe it was something to with the fact that it meant they could do more to help other androids?

Or it could be that Gavin was an ass and Connor couldn't help but smile when someone else agreed with that conclusion.

Grabbing the mug sitting on Hank's desk, Connor wandered through to the break room to make the older man a coffee. He was humming along to himself as the machine worked, unaware of the figure which walked through and was presently glaring at his back. "Hey, plastic!"

Connor fought the urge to sigh at the insult, instead rolling his eyes before he turned around and gave Gavin a patient smile. "Yes, Detective?" he answered in a friendly tone.

Gavin glowered at him before grabbing another mug from the cupboard and tossing it at him. Connor caught it instinctively. "You're getting another order."

The android turned his head curiously. "And what conditions facilitate your assumption that I will follow through on such a request?" While he spoke much more casually nowadays, Connor knew that speaking in 'technospeak' wound Gavin up, and he always got a small thrill out of seeing the furious glint in the detective's eye.

A fist grabbed Connor's jacket and brought him level with Gavin's livid eyes. "Because it's a fucking order, you piece of shit; and I'd love the chance to make your life hell."

Connor spied Hank come back into the main room and was about to retort when an idea suddenly struck him. In his time researching 'pranks' to play on Hank, one of his discoveries came to mind. The android gave Gavin a friendly smile as he shifted the hand which gripped him away. "There is no need for the threat, Detective. All you need to do is ask politely." Gavin sneered as he stormed off, leaving the room swiftly as he saw Hank clock their encounter.

The lieutenant strode over with intent, glowering at Gavin as the other man walked past. He appeared in the break room and gave Connor a concerned look. "Everything all right, Connor?" he asked with concern.

Connor gave him a small smile. "Everything is fine, Hank, nothing I can't handle. It's just Detective Reed being his normal charming self."

Hank shook his head with a dark expression. "I don't know why you put up with his shit, Connor. I'd have knocked him out by now."

The android simply turned away and went back to the machine. "It is nothing to be concerned with. I will be back shortly." Hank wasn't happy with his response but walked away, leaving Connor be. Now alone, Connor smiled with a glint in his eye, looking through the cupboards for the key to his plan.

Two minutes later he reappeared in the main room, dropping off a coffee on Gavin's desk before giving Hank his own one. Gavin smirked as he picked up the steaming mug, Hank glaring at him coldly while Connor sat down and began working, ignoring Hank's look at him.

Everyone watched in shock as Gavin swiftly spat out the beverage a second later, soaking his computer and causing it to short circuit. The room was deathly silent as everyone watched Gavin splutter in disgust. "What the _fuck-"_ With a look of pure hate he stood and marched over to Connor, Hank standing and pushing him back before he could get close. "The fuck did you do, plastic?!" Gavin spat in his direction.

"Hey! Less of that!" Hank snapped in response, getting right into Gavin's face.

Connor look over to them innocently. "Forgive me, Detective, but I seem to have forgotten your requirements. I take it you do not like it?"

Gavin was about to point right in Connor's face when a shout from the side of the room caught their attention. "Reed!" They all turned to see Captain Fowler glaring. "My office, now!"

After steaming for a couple more seconds Gavin glared icily at both Hank and Connor before he stormed away. Hank's eyes kept following him until he saw the detective vanish into the captain's office, letting out a breath before he sat back down at his desk. He then turned his attention to the android which had gone back to working, but Hank saw the glint in his eyes. "Connor…" Hearing his name Connor turned his attention across the desk and Hank instantly saw the small smile on his face. "What did you do?" he asked amusedly.

Connor shrugged. "I just made Detective Reed a coffee, Hank, nothing more." He turned back to his desk and was about to start typing again before he looked back to Hank with a wink. "I believe I may have misconstrued the salt lying in the cupboard for sugar, however."

Hank started howling in laughter, and Connor smiled. "That was beautiful, kid. Please feel free to do that again the next time the asshole picks on you."

"I believe the detective may refrain from bothering me again on that issue."

Unsurprisingly, Connor was right. Hank couldn't stop smirking at Gavin for the rest of the week.


	3. Beep

Wow! What an amazing reaction to the start of this story, thank you so much to everyone who has favourited and followed it!

Special thanks for reviews: **Subtle Shenanigans, sarahlucylu, dragonwrights, ShaoRiku and Gipsypipsy.**

* * *

Hank's eyebrow twitched as he heard it again. The same thing that had been taunting him. All. _Fucking_. Morning.

That goddamned _beep_.

When he'd woken up at the ungodly hour of 8am Hank knew it wasn't going to be a good day, despite it being a day off. It was the one day a week he had off without Connor, and right now he was wishing his partner was still in the house. He'd be able to pinpoint this annoyance in a heartbeat and turn it off.

By 9am he'd switched off all the electronics in his house. No change.

By 10am he'd turned them all back on and had upended half the living room looking for it. Nothing.

By midday he was ready to tear his hair out after going through the whole damn house, save for Connor's room. At this point he was entirely tempted to break that little privacy rule he had made for himself to save his sanity.

 _ **BEEP**_

" _Fucking stop!"_ Hank screamed as it came back again, knowing this was doing nothing for his blood pressure. Considering he was meant to find their house an escape from work, he was damn well tempted to go and join Connor for the rest of the day. And maybe half the night to just get away from this. The worst bit was he couldn't even tell where it was coming from. He'd stood in every corner of the house and still couldn't figure out if he was near or far. _That just didn't make sense!_

Sumo was watching the human stomp about the house angrily, his head cocked in confusion. Hank glared at the dog whenever it barked at him. "Yeah I fucking _know,_ Sumo! I know I'm being an idiot by not finding this thing!" Hank sighed. "Don't suppose you've got any ideas, do you?" Sumo barked before lying back down, curling back to sleep.

Hank roared again. "Of course this isn't bothering you, just me! Where is that goddamned kid when I need him?!"

He knew he was being entirely unfair – it wasn't Connor's fault that this happened on a day he wasn't in.

Hank froze. _Or was it?_

A thought took hold and Hank dialled Connor's number, waiting impatiently as it rang. It was unusual for Connor to not pick up straight away, unless he was dealing with Fowler or a suspect. When it reached the eighth ring, Hank was beginning to wonder if Connor was ignoring him. The android finally answered on the eleventh.

 **" _Hello, Hank. This is unexpected, what can I help you with?"_**

The lieutenant's eyebrow twitched. There was definitely something… _off_ with Connor's voice. He was being a little _too_ casual. "Connor, you didn't happen to…hear anything before you left this morning, did you?"

 **" _Hear something? I think you're going to have to be a little more specific than that, Hank."_**

He sighed angrily. Connor could be a pain in the ass when he wanted to, but he wasn't normally _this_ awkward. Hank's gut was beginning to give him a feeling. "A fucking _beep_ , all right? It's been driving me nuts since 8 in the fucking morning, Connor! Are you honestly telling me you didn't hear it before you left?"

 **" _My hearing range automatically filters out frequencies which can be construed as an irritant or potentially harmful, Hank."_**

"Fucking androids…" he growled, but they both knew there was no malice behind it. Hank heard Connor chuckling on the other end of the line and his eyebrow twitched again. His partner was finding this situation _way_ too enjoyable. "All right, well at the very least do you mind if I take a look through your room to make sure it isn't in there? It would just tick another box off my list."

Hank was suspicious when the android didn't answer back. "Connor?"

 **"… _I can assure you that you won't find it in there, Hank."_**

"You fucking _brat_ , I knew you did this on purpose! Connor I am going _demented_ , here. At least tell me where it is so I can turn the damn thing off!"

 **" _Is Sumo showing any signs of discomfort?"_**

"No, Connor, the fucking _dog_ is snoring away quite happily! What the fuck does that have to do with anything?!"

Hank could practically hear the smirk in Connor's voice. _" **Enjoy the rest of your day, Hank. I will see you tonight."**_

When the line went dead, Hank had half a mind to smash the phone off the floor. "Son of a bitch!"

 ** _BEEP_**

 _"Shut up!"_

* * *

Connor reappeared at 7 that night, and he was bemused when he found no sign of Hank in the house. A smile meandered on to his face as he found their dog sleeping on the sofa, no doubt taking advantage of the fact that Hank normally ordered him off it. After dropping the box in his hand on the nearby table he knelt down next to the St Bernard and ruffled his fur lightly, earning a deep rumble in return. "Hello, Sumo. Thanks for the help today, I hope Hank hasn't been too much of an irritant."

The android slipped his hand under Sumo's collar and found the small beeper he had attached there that morning, smiling when it went off and the dog was unaffected. When he heard another set of keys going into the front door Connor swiftly turned off and pocketed the device, turning his attention back to the animal on the sofa.

Hank's face was like thunder when he came through the door, and his eye twitched when he saw Connor kneeling and smirking at him. "You fucking little shit, what did you do that for? Do you know what I've had to do today to get away from that infernal beeping?" he snapped.

"You were out of the house, and since Jimmy's Bar is currently closed for refurbishment and I don't detect any alcohol in your system, I assume you have just been out walking?" Connor's smile changed from confident to soft as he spoke.

The lieutenant was about to snarl again when Connor's statement finally struck home, and he chuckled. "You did this just so I would get out of the house, didn't you?"

Connor said nothing but turned to pick up the pizza box which he had sat down on the table, before standing and presenting it to Hank. "Peace offering?"

Hank pretended to glare for a few more seconds before sighing in defeat. "Just as well I like you, kid," he said before taking the food. Connor watched as Hank shooed Sumo off the sofa and sat down, shuffling over to silently offer Connor a place next to him. The android smiled as he sat down, sitting in silence as Hank ate.

It was a few minutes later that Hank spoke up again. "So, uh…where did you hide it? God knows I all but tore this place apart looking for it." When Connor smiled again with that glint in his eye, Hank sighed. "You're not going to tell me, are you?"

Connor winked at him. "Where would be the fun in that, Hank? Besides, there is nothing to say I won't use it again."

After a few seconds, Hank muttered back at him darkly. "I'm not above kicking you out, you know."

"Your threat is acknowledged, lieutenant."

Hank scoffed. _Acknowledged and ignored. Damn kid knows I've got too much of a soft spot for him._ "You're turning into quite the prankster, aren't you?"

Connor turned to smile at him, that wicked gleam still in his eye. "I believe you started this with the water balloons last month, Hank. I will admit I am surprised by the appeal, however."

"Careful, Connor. You don't know what you are getting into here."

From the sparkle Hank could see in the android's eye, Connor knew _exactly_ what he was starting.

 _Oh, it's on, kid._


	4. Words Are Important

Special thanks for reviews: **Subtle Shenanigans, Kemonomimi-san, sarahlucylu** and one **Guest.**

* * *

There were a lot of Connor's quirks which Hank had come to adore since the android had began living with him. It turned out that since being freed and his personality had started shining through, there were certain things that he did which make Hank both smile and laugh.

Connor loved taking Sumo out in the rain. No matter how much Hank complained about the smell of wet dog or the way he got soaked when said dog smothered him, he couldn't bring himself to stop asking Connor to do it. The smile on his face was too much.

It also turned out he had a thing for flowers. The irony was not lost on Hank that the killing machine developed by CyberLife couldn't help to stop and stare at the colourful blooms. Having plants in the house was something Hank was slowly getting used to, but he had to admit it brightened up the place.

The one that Hank found the most fascinating (and by far the most amusing), was Connor's love of books. Not the digital ones that people seemed to leave lying everywhere, but the traditional ones. Worn paper and glue, with torn covers and the ability to give you paper cuts which stung for days. What was even better was how despite having the skill to scan every page instantly, Connor took his time and actually read each word. Granted, he was still an incredibly fast reader, but Hank smiled whenever he found him curled up somewhere with a book in hand.

While watching TV one night, Hank couldn't help but chuckle as he looked over and saw Connor on the other side of the couch, nose buried in his latest book while leaning over on his other hand. It was such an innocent and _human_ action that Hank couldn't help the swell in his chest. The softly whirring LED on Connor's forehead was the only thing which distinguished him as an android, and from this angle Hank couldn't see it. He nudged the younger man with his foot and laughed lightly when Connor stayed studiously focused on the pages. "Hey, kiddo," he spoke a bit louder, sniggering when Connor looked up in slight disorientation. "You seem pretty gripped there."

Connor smiled as the words registered and turned his gaze back down. "I'm almost finished this one, and it's the last in the series. I'm eager to see how it concludes."

Hank laughed. "Never took you for one to get so gripped by a story."

The android looked back up to raise an eyebrow at Hank. "Yes, well, this is your fault. You're the one who first threw a book at me and told me to do something at night rather than just sit."

"What can I say? I'm good at being a bad influence," he smirked back with a shrug, not missing the roll of Connor's eyes. Oh yeah, the kid was definitely picking up a lot of his mannerisms. "You going to finish it tonight?"

Connor sighed. "No, much as I am inclined to. I've put off running a systems check for the past two nights because of reading. I don't have choice with it tonight, I'll automatically drop into stasis in about an hour."

"That's what you get for procrastinating." Connor raised an eyebrow at him. Hank was the _king_ of procrastination. "Don't give me that look."

"Whatever you say, Hank."

The pair sat in silence for a couple of minutes before Hank got an idea. A _devilish_ idea that he _knew_ was going to annoy Connor. He'd been looking to get the kid back for the whole beeper incident a few days ago, and now was that chance. "How close you gonna get to finishing it?"

Connor huffed, which Hank found amusing. "Probably about six chapters away, maybe another thirty minutes or so of reading. It's incredibly frustrating as I want to know how it all ends."

Hank had to suppress a smirk. "Guess you'll just have to wait until tomorrow, then."

 _Yeah, if you can find it._

* * *

Connor was not amused. He'd woken from stasis the next day at around 10am, and was not happy at the time. Never mind that he was late for work (but he knew Hank would have told Fowler that he was running a systems check; they could sometimes run a bit longer if there was something that needed fixing), that wasn't his focus right now.

His book was missing. He knew he'd left it on the table next to the couch the night before so that he could finish it during a quiet moment at work, but it was gone.

Or rather, a certain police lieutenant had left a snarky note saying that Connor was going to have to go hunting for it.

Connor sighed in agitation, figuring he should have expected Hank to retaliate for his prank from before, as he prepared for work. The shit eating grin on Hank's face when Connor walked in to the precinct half an hour later did not improve things. "Hey sleepyhead, nice of you to show up," the older man teased with a broad smirk.

The android glowered at him and looked up towards Fowler's office to see if he was in trouble. When the captain just waved a hand saying that he was all clear, Connor came to a stop at the edge of his desk and folded his arms. "Where is it, Hank?" he asked in what he hoped was a neutral voice. Judging by how Hank's eyes sparkled in mirth, he'd failed.

"You're the detective, why don't you go figure it out?" Hank fired back at him, his grin getting wider by the second. Connor gave him another mild glare before sitting down at his desk, bringing up his tasks for the day. He was already late, he couldn't really afford to fall further behind.

He was disappointed; he'd been looking forward to finishing the book.

* * *

By the time evening rolled around, Hank was almost feeling sorry for Connor. The kid had been working non-stop all day, and Hank could sense his irritability from across the desk. In the few moments where there was a lull, Connor had been pestering him as to where the book was, but Hank just kept brushing him off. It wasn't that he wouldn't tell Connor where it was…

It was more that he hadn't asked the right question yet.

As it came time for them to pack up for the night, Hank spied the dark look Connor shot him. He smirked and ruffled Connor's hair, earning an annoyed squawk as the android stood up. When Hank left the building without so much as looking back, Connor was suspicious. He wouldn't really leave and potentially endure a night of an irritated android if he could avoid it, would he?

Connor felt like smacking his face. Of course the book wasn't here. Knowing Hank, it was probably sitting in the fridge or something like that.

Hank's grin was still firmly in place when Connor got in the car. "Gotta admit, Connor, didn't take you for the moping type," he teased.

The android glared at him mildly before taking out his coin, running it between his fingers. It was a good stress reliever at times. "Hank, you're just being vindictive now," he whined, eyebrow twitching in annoyance when Hank barked out a laugh. "Why did you even take it?"

"Simple. Revenge."

Connor sighed and sat back, turning his gaze to the older man. "Hank, please."

"Please what?"

"Please can you tell me where it is?"

Hank sucked in a breath dramatically. "Oooh, so close, Connor. Thought you had it there."

Connor looked at him strangely. "Hank, what do you-"

Then it hit him. _You've got to be joking me._

"Hank, can I please have my book back?" Connor wanted to smack the other man when Hank's smirk grew and he pulled it out from within his jacket, handing it back to the android. He glared down at the book for a few seconds before turning icy eyes to the lieutenant. "You had this all day, didn't you?"

"Yep."

"And when we're you going to give it back to me?"

"When you asked the right question, which you just did."

Connor didn't feel up to dignifying that response with one of his own. Instead, a smile wove its way on to his face as he flicked through the pages to where he had finished reading, eager to get back into it.

When he reached the point, however, he stared down at the book in shock. It seemed Hank had been paying a lot more attention to him last night than he'd given the older man credit for. At the perfect place in his book was another note, written much neater this time: and all the aggravation that Connor felt towards the older man melted away. He looked up with slightly misty eyes and found Hank was smiling softly back at him.

Connor looked back down and laughed as he felt his heart beating faster, re-reading the words with delight.

 _It's a parent's job to tease their kid. You're not the only one with a few tricks._


	5. Two For One

Special thanks for reviews: **Subtle Shenanigans, Darnea, Derpidot, Galaxy Creator of Pisces, MagicalWitch92, sarahlucylu, Celestic1234, Red 'Allen' Walker, ByteOfBacon** and one **Guest.** You are all amazing!

* * *

Hank _knew_ he was in trouble when Fowler announced that he was going to be involved in an undercover assignment. He _hated_ undercover work. And this one was no different.

What he hated more than anything, was the fact Connor wasn't going with him. The android's LED gave him away, and it needed to be only humans for this assignment. Which meant that Connor couldn't be involved.

And it meant the little shit was going to be on his own in the house for three days. Hank was already dreading what he'd be coming back to.

On the morning of the assignment Connor smiled as he watched the older man kneel down and pet their dog. He could tell Hank was procrastinating, but he didn't have the heart to rush him along. Connor was keeping track of what time Hank absolutely _had_ to go, but he knew the lieutenant would probably be aware himself of the ticking clock.

That, and Connor was going to miss him. He enjoyed the other man's company immensely.

 _But…_ that didn't mean Connor wasn't going to take advantage of the time.

Hank looked over and spied the small smirk on Connor's face, groaning openly. They both knew damn well that Connor was going to have a prank waiting for him when he got back; and as much as he enjoyed this game they were playing now, he didn't necessarily want to deal with that fresh off an assignment. Hank knew he'd probably be cranky as fuck when he got back.

"Do you have any idea when you'll be back, Hank?" the android asked as the other man stood up.

He shrugged. "Extraction is meant to be on the Wednesday night, but with all the debriefs and report writing I'll be doing, I doubt I'll be back until Thursday morning. What are you going to be up to in the meantime?"

"The Captain is having me train a new android that is about to be joining the department. She's due to start in a month."

Hank raised an eyebrow. "New android, huh? I'm guessing not a specially designed one like you, then?"

"Correct. She's a former Traci who decided to join the police after waking up. Being an android she passed all the exams effortlessly, but the Captain wants me to give her some advice and prepare her. I imagine it will also be advantageous for her to be familiar with someone in the department before she arrives."

"Hmmm, could be interesting. Reed's face is gonna be a picture when we get another android in the ranks. Just hope he doesn't give her shit."

Connor smiled at him, checking the clock on his display. Hank had two minutes before he had to leave. He then cocked his head at Hank when the older man winced slightly. "Hank?"

"You're not going to have anything _too_ sinister waiting for me when I get back, are you?" And then the damn smirk was back. "Goddammit, why did I have to end up with an android with such a mischievous streak?"

Connor raised an eyebrow. "You started this, Hank." The older man just glared mildly at him. Knowing that time wasn't on their side, Connor walked over and hugged him. Hank chuckled as he wrapped his arms around the android. "Be safe," he whispered softly.

Hank smiled. "Will do, kid. I'll see you soon."

When they parted Hank gave him a lazy wave before going out the door. Connor sighed and allowed himself to accept the fact he wouldn't see Hank for three days, the sudden loneliness a strange sensation.

...Before a massive smile broke out on his face. This was a golden opportunity, and he'd been planning this one for _weeks._ He laughed as Sumo barked at him, as if sensing Connor was up to something. "Come on, Sumo. We need to buy a few things."

* * *

Hank arrived back at the house as the sun was rising on the Thursday morning, and he was absolutely beat. He'd barely got a wink of sleep the whole assignment and he was quite ready to just dive into his bed. After a few drinks first. Despite having been in the police for so many years, sometimes the shit he saw still got to him. He needed to unwind a little before he slept, and Connor had messaged him to say he was needed as part of a surveillance team, so he wasn't there. Hank was disappointed, he'd been looking forward to seeing him.

On weary legs he opened the front door and ambled through to the kitchen, giving Sumo a half-hearted pat on the way past. The dog followed him through and barked at him, causing Hank to wince. "Easy, boy. Don't really want to be dealing with loud noises right now." Sumo whined at him and Hank rolled his eyes as he gave the hound a more energetic reception. Now satisfied, the large dog wandered back through to the living room while Hank opened up the top cupboard for some whiskey.

And then…he was suddenly coughing like crazy as a powder hit him in the face.

He sneezed as some of it got up his nose and spluttered, trying to get the mystery substance out of his mouth. "What the fuck?!" he exclaimed. Hank shook his head before looking down at himself, discovering that he was now completely white. An involuntary taste from what remained in his mouth confirmed his suspicion. "Why the _fuck_ am I covered in flour?!"

Hank turned to look at the cupboard again and glared as he saw the trap Connor had set: a bowl of flour had been mounted to the shelf and rigged to tip via a piece of string attached to the door. "That fucking brat…I'm gonna kill him. This is going to be a fucking nightmare to clean!" He scowled at the mess on the floor around him and gave a frustrated sigh. "I suppose it could have been worse."

When he reached up for where the bottle of whiskey was meant to be kept, however, he glared at the bit of paper he came away with instead.

 _Hope you liked the surprise. You'll find the whiskey in your bedroom._

Hank eyed the paper with suspicion. He suddenly had a _really_ bad feeling.

In slight trepidation he approached his bedroom, and his scowl deepened when he saw another piece of paper taped to the door.

 _And when I say you'll find it in here…I hope you enjoy treasure hunts._

"Connor, I hope for your sake you haven't hidden it too well. I'm way too fucking tired for this shit," he moaned as he opened the door. He really wasn't in the mood.

Hank's mouth dropped open as he looked inside. "Oh fucking _hell…_ Connor, you are _so_ dead for this."

His entire bedroom was now covered in plastic wrap. The cabinets, side units, bed…all of it was coated in several layers of plastic prison. He could even see the pillows and duvet had been wrapped in balls on top of the bed – and to top it all off, he'd wrapped a big red bow around the bedding. Hank glared at the scene before sighing deeply. This was the _last_ thing he needed. Another piece of paper was sitting on the edge of the bed and Hank snatched it up, wanting to burn the damn thing.

 _Have you checked the closet yet?_

"Oh don't tell me…"

Sure enough, when Hank opened it, all of his clothes were individually wrapped on the hangers. Even his shoes at the bottom were all coated, Connor hadn't missed a single item. "For fuck's sake, Connor! How the hell am I meant to change out of these goddamned floury clothes if you've wrapped all of them!" Another bit of paper was taped to the first hangar and Hank was _sorely_ tempted to just ignore it. With an angry snarl he ripped it free and glared at the words.

 _Check my room, Hank._

"You can fuck _right_ off, Connor! I'm not falling for another prank!"

Hank stood and stewed for a moment before sighing in relent. He probably should go to Connor's room, if for no other reason there was a bed in there. One – hopefully – not covered in a million layers of plastic wrapping. Dragging his tired body through, he left his bedroom and opened Connor's door. It still felt incredibly alien, he didn't like invading Connor's space, but the kid had told him to.

As he flicked on the light, Hank's demeanour softened. Laying there along the bed were towels, a change of clothes (which included his favourite shirt), sleepwear, and a bottle of his favourite whiskey – which Hank was amazed at since he _knew_ he didn't have any of it in the cupboards, it was way too damn expensive. Connor must have bought it for him. One final note was attached to the bottle and Hank picked it up, finally cracking a smile as he read the words.

 _Feel free to use the bed, Hank. And here's a bottle for you since I know you'll be needing a drink and I assume you didn't find the other one._

He chuckled. "Cocky little shit."

 _I'll see you soon. Sumo's not the only one who has missed you._

 _Connor_

 _(And I hope you realise presents are meant to be unwrapped)_

Hank burst out laughing as Connor's hint clicked. _The whiskey's in that fucking big red bow, huh? You know what, I'll dig for it. I'll save this beauty for a special occasion._

As he put the paper down he couldn't help but smile; as annoyed as he was at getting caught out _twice¸_ Connor had put a smile on his face. The laughter was a good remedy.

"Missed you too, kid."


	6. Tag Team

Special thanks for reviews: **Tifflinck, Subtle Shenanigans, Celestic1234, sarahlucylu, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, SheNoob** and two **Guest.**

And much love goes to everyone who has been showing their support for this series. Seriously, if anyone has any requests, feel free to message me. I'll do my best to write them up!

* * *

Despite the fun the two had with their prank war, they flat out refused to play anything out at the precinct. It was an unspoken agreement that they wouldn't do anything to interfere with their jobs, and it was a rule they were each happy to play by.

 _However…_ that rule did not extend to a certain asshole detective. He was absolutely fair game.

Nothing had happened since that first day with Gavin's coffee, the detective choosing to mostly leave the pair alone apart from his usual scathing remarks.

Except…Hank _and_ Connor were now both extremely pissed at him. They found out that a suspect they had been hunting down for weeks in connection with a string of android assaults had been let free since Gavin had not read him his full rights upon his arrest. Pure chance had seen Gavin be the one to arrest him, instead of a member of the android crimes division. Fowler had been left with no choice but for the man to walk. Hank and Connor were both fully of the opinion that Gavin had acted on purpose, not accidentally as he had pleaded to the captain; as were a few members of their own team.

Given their shared anger towards the asshole, the pair had agreed to team up for a little revenge. And when Connor told Hank of his idea, the lieutenant was eager to see it happen (as well as being glad Connor hadn't had the chance to use this prank on him yet, he'd have had no chance in fixing it).

When Hank asked him about where he got the idea, Connor just winked and said Markus was very good inspiration.

 _Fantastic…now he's got the Jericho crew involved. I'm going to need to up my game._

It was two days after hearing about Reed's 'incident' that the two put their plan into action.

Hank and Connor walked into the precinct an hour early to make sure of getting their opportunity, earning a few disbelieving stares from their colleagues. That instantly piqued a few people's interests – Hank's lateness was legendary, even Connor could only fix so much. After catching the conspiratorial glances the pair shared over the morning, they had an unintentional audience, and it didn't take long for certain individuals familiar with the pair (Ben and Chris, as well as a few other members of their team) to realise what was going on.

They'd all be lying through their teeth if they said they weren't looking forward to Gavin getting a little payback.

When the detective walked in at just gone 8 in the morning, he missed the fact that so many people were watching him, too absorbed with something he was reading on his phone. Connor and Hank shared a look and Hank winked at Connor, grinning as the android smirked and went back to working. The human stood up and went through to the kitchen, making himself a coffee (which earned a few confused stares seeing as Connor had made him one only fifteen minutes earlier), while Connor kept working on at his station. A few minutes later saw Hank reappear, steaming mug in hand, and he took a decidedly roundabout route back to his desk.

Several sets of eyes watched in interest as Hank hovered near Chris' desk, speaking to the officer until Gavin pulled out his phone again. Connor's LED blinked as he sent a quick text to Hank, the lieutenant's phone vibrating in response to the signal, before the LED kept flickering as Connor got to work on disabling the station's cameras. 'Out of the blue', Hank burst out into a completely fake and raucous laugh, slamming his hand down hard on Chris' desk and 'accidentally' catching the officer's beverage on the way back up. It went flying over to Gavin's desk, sloshing all over his arm and leg.

Gavin's glare was murderous as he slammed his phone down and stood up, glaring at Hank. "The fuck was that for, Anderson?!" he snarled.

Hank shrugged and an eyebrow rose in amusement as he answered back. "I suppose an 'oops' doesn't quite cover it, eh, Reed? I'll bet the Captain is going to love seeing you all coffee stained when he gets here in twenty minutes."

Reed glared icily at the older man before storming past, heading for the back of the precinct to change. Hank smiled at Chris as he placed the coffee he had just made on the other man's desk, amused at the look on Chris' face. "Sorry, Chris, this is for you, Connor's already taken care of me," he smiled warmly before the scheming grin worked its way back onto his face. "Enjoy the show." Hank then swiftly reached over and threw Gavin's phone at Connor, the android smiling as he turned and caught it effortlessly. "Over to you, kid."

Connor turned his attention to the device, surprised when he found it to be using the old-fashioned PIN combination. He used his software to hack through the simple passcode, rolling his eyes when it turned out to be '1234'. Gavin was even less imaginative than he thought. Now with freedom, Connor set about his task, scrolling through the phone's contents at top speed. He soon found something that piqued his interest, and a quick internet search had Connor smirking. _Perfect._

With his task finished exactly 10.86 seconds after being handed Gavin's phone, Connor held it back out for Hank and the lieutenant placed it back exactly where he found it, whistling as he sauntered back over to his desk. As Hank went back to his desk Connor got back to work on the cameras, reactivating them out of the loop he had set up. Everyone in the bullpen looked at the pair in disbelief, especially when they just went back to working. No-one could quite work out just what the pair had been up to, but they were all dying to find out.

It would a bare-faced lie to say that Gavin was in any way popular, unlike the unconventional yet charming pair of Hank and Connor. Whatever went down now, the pair knew everyone inside the precinct would have their backs.

Gavin reappeared a few minutes later, a thunderous look on his face as his stare sent daggers into Hank's back. Connor's own gaze was icy, and Gavin swore nastily at him. "The fuck you looking at, tin can?" he spat on the way past, flopping back into his chair.

A tense ten minutes later, Connor used his connection to the external security cameras to see Fowler approaching. He flashed Hank a mischievous grin as he stood and walked past, heading towards the evidence lockup. The lieutenant had to fight _really_ hard to not stare at Reed's furious figure as Fowler walked in, eager to see what Connor had come up with.

He, along with the rest of their colleagues, were all equally surprised with what came next.

 _ **I'm a Barbie Girl, In a Barbie world…**_

Hank turned to stare in complete bemusement and burst out in a deep belly laugh at the ringtone of Gavin's phone, everyone around him mirroring his actions. Gavin's face went scarlet as he realised it was his own phone and quickly fought to silence it, glaring at the ' _Number Unavailable'_ which showed on the screen. His embarrassment was just compounded when Fowler stared at him with a shake to his head.

"Really, Reed? That song was fucking terrible when _I_ was a kid," the Captain stated on the way past setting off everyone else again as Gavin muttered something under his breath. "Haven't you all got work to be doing?" he snapped as a follow up, but nobody missed the sparkle of amusement in his eyes. Fowler fired a knowing glance at Hank and smiled slightly, earning a smirk back from the lieutenant.

As the commotion died down Connor re-appeared, Hank's smile not having died as Gavin steadfastly ignored the jibes and teases of everyone around him. "That was fucking _amazing,_ Connor," he spoke with whole-hearted approval, arms crossed while staring at Reed from his chair. "Don't tell me Markus gave you the idea for the song too?"

Connor's eyes sparkled as he smiled. "No, actually. I didn't need to one Markus suggested when I found that song on Gavin's phone. I remember reading on the internet that it was widely considered a horrendous song."

Hank had to swallow hard on a deep laugh, coming out in a choked snort instead. "Reed actually had that shit himself?"

"Yes he did."

"That just makes this all the better." Hank held out a hand flat next to his shoulder. "Pleasure doing business with you, Connor."

The android winked at him as he fived back. "Likewise, Hank."

They had the feeling joining forces against Gavin might become something of a habit.


	7. Shades of Blue

I can see that having Hank and Connor team up against Gavin is a popular topic. Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! I've got an abundance of ideas now, and some of them have me so excited!

Also, I don't know why but the links for replying to everyone's reviews for the last chapter seem to be broken. I'm sorry, I always do my best to reply to every message so please don't be offended if I haven't sent you a reply! I am truly thankful for all the reviews, they are amazing.

Special thanks for reviews: **DyeTheSheep, Roseheir, Subtle Shenanigans, mechan0philia, Celestic1234, Nightingale1692, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, Neyane, Sagittarius Aquarius** and two **Guests!**

I blame my flatmate for this one. He did this to me two weeks ago, so I'm exacting my revenge on Hank and Connor.

* * *

The aftermath of the android uprising had left Detroit in a state of flux for many weeks, and even now things were not completely settled. Trouble was mostly minor, fortunately, as everyone navigated the new world order. One of the major problems, however, had been finding somewhere for the thousands of free androids to stay.

It turned out some higher profile figures in the city were public supporters of android independence, and Markus had been offered various locations to house the new population. It was a win-win situation: the androids had the chance to build their own homes, while the humans who extended the gesture got the publicity. Markus knew full well it was the motivation behind the amnesty extended, but some of the humans he had accepted offers from turned out to be genuinely invested in the future of the androids. That had made things much easier.

Once a week, Connor would make a trip out to visit Markus and the two would share various updates. Connor's position within the DPD in investigating android crimes meant that Markus was greatly interested in what the former deviant hunter uncovered, while Markus often gave Connor tip-offs to other crimes and provided useful information. Not only that, but the two had turned into great friends after things settled down. The two RK models had discovered they shared a lot in common.

Not least of which was a similar sense of mischief. That little discovery had been by pure accident after Markus asked why Connor had been grinning so much the day he had tampered with Gavin's coffee.

This week was slightly different, however. After being informed of a human protest group vandalising part of the apartment block Markus and the others were living in, Hank had joined Connor in checking things out. It wasn't the first time Hank had gone with him, the police lieutenant was familiar with most of the more prominent androids now, but it would be first time they were investigating a scene. He was glad to not be investigating homicides anymore, he'd seen more than enough death to last him a lifetime.

When the pair pulled up in Hank's car, they were slightly surprised to see Markus standing outside with North, Simon and Josh. All four androids were engaged in easy conversation and all gave a friendly greeting as Connor and Hank approached. Markus and Connor hugged warmly while Simon and Josh shook hands with Hank. As they said hello to Connor, Hank swung out and caught North's hand in mid-air. "Pinch my arm again and I swear to fuck I'll shoot you, North," he warned with a stare.

The female android just smirked and winked at him as he let her hand go, only for him to get a slap to the arm instead. He hissed and rubbed the spot as she shrugged. "You never said anything about slapping," she smirked before wandering over to ruffle Connor's hair. The detective glared as she snickered, and Hank couldn't help but laugh. Apparently North had worked out Connor's distaste to that particular trick.

Once everyone had finished saying hello, Markus smiled at the duo. "It's good to see both of you, I just wish it wasn't for investigative purposes," he spoke warmly.

Hank folded his arms after shrugging. "Humans being assholes? Tell me something new."

North raised an eyebrow at him. "Do you make it a habit of insulting yourself? Or are you just trying to take away my entertainment?"

"Didn't say anything untrue, I _am_ an asshole; but depriving you of amusement is always a win in my book."

"Bite me, old man."

"You first, bitch." Simon and Josh just shook their heads as they led the way inside, Markus and Connor sharing a laugh as they saw Hank jump away from North with a shout. _"I was fucking joking, North!"_

The pair hung back slightly, Markus' eyes dancing in amusement as he watched the other four ahead. "He seems to be in a good mood, today."

Connor smiled broadly. "I think he's just happy that we've actually got two consecutive days off after today. He intends to, quote, 'do sweet fuck all'."

Markus roared in laughter. "It's hilarious whenever you swear, Connor, even if you're quoting Hank. You've got two days off, have you? In that case, I call this perfect timing." Connor looked at him oddly before Markus retrieved a small bottle from his pocket. The detective scanned it briefly and smirked as he realised what it was. "Let me know how it goes, yeah? Carl's the one who gave me the inspiration for this one."

That earned a quiet laugh from Connor as he swiftly pocketed the bottle with a smile. "You told Carl about Hank and I's prank war?"

"I mentioned it in passing, and it turns out this was a common one when he was younger. And I'm not going to lie, I enjoy hearing all your stories about it: so much so that relaying them to Carl gives us both enjoyment."

Connor snickered, the image of the older man laughing at their antics making him happy. "I hope you realise that I'm going to drop you right in this one if it goes wrong."

Markus just winked at him. "What was it you said to me once? 'Statistically speaking, there is always a chance for unlikely events to take place?' I'm making no promises, Connor." He placed an encouraging hand on Connor's back as they strode in. "Come on, you'd better check it all out before Hank and North legitimately hurt themselves. I swear they're worse than children."

* * *

When Connor and Hank returned home that night, the pair were in great moods. After weeks of pestering by Connor, Hank had actually started cooking more often, and tonight was one of the designated 'non-takeaway' night. As the older man got started on making food, Connor made sure he was adequately distracted before slipping into the bathroom. Hank noticed his brief absence, but when Connor returned with a new book from his bedroom, he didn't ask any questions.

An hour later saw the two of them relaxing on the sofa with Sumo between them. "Ugh, think I'm going to take a shower, get rid of all the stress from this week," Hank commented idly, huffing as he shoved Sumo's massive form enough to be able to stand. "Think you can manage to keep yourself out of trouble?" he teased lightly, earning a raised eyebrow from Connor.

The android kept a deadpan expression as he answered. "Don't I always, Hank?"

A bark of laughter was his answer. "Right, as fucking _if_." When Hank moved away, Connor's face changed to a knowing smirk as he refocused on his book. He was waiting for the inevitable reaction when Hank finished up.

He only had to wait ten minutes.

" _ **Connor!"**_ The android had to bite his lip at the furious roar from the bathroom and fought hard to school his face into an appropriate expression when he heard the door be wrenched open.

Only for it to be a completely wasted effort when he saw Hank. A chuckle escaped Connor before he could control it, and a second later he dissolved into side-splitting laughter. _**"**_ This isn't fucking _funny,_ Connor! Why the _fuck_ is my hair _blue?!"_

Hank's anger abated slightly at seeing Connor is stitches, he'd never seen the android laugh like that before. It eased the embarrassment at finding his hair a shade of fluorescent blue following his shower, his beard a similar colour but more muted. It was about twenty seconds before Connor stopped laughing, but the android was still giggling at the human as he answered back. "Surprise?" he offered in answer. "Don't worry, Hank, it should wash out before we need to be back in the precinct on Monday. I wouldn't do anything to cause you embarrassment at work."

"Thank fucking Christ for that, I'd hate to have to find an explanation for _this_." His face morphed from annoyed to a challenging smirk. "You're a couple up on me now, you brat. I'm going to have to find a way to get back at you."

Connor winked at him. "Looking forward to it, Hank. Although I hope you realise I currently cannot take you seriously."

"Shut the fuck up."

Except things didn't quite work out like that. The universe was working against them this time, and the temporary blue dye didn't vanish by the time the pair returned to work. Hank just glared in Connor's direction when he was the butt of the jokes for the day due to his blue-tinged hair.

And, as promised, Connor informed Markus that he had swiftly offloaded fault in his direction when the prank went wrong. The detective knew he'd been had when Markus sent him a smug message back via their mental network.

 _You didn't think I'd pass up an opportunity to catch both of you, did you?_

The war had a new participant, and Connor would be lying if he said he wasn't excited at the prospect.


	8. Shhh, It's a Secret

_Holy shit,_ there are now over 100 people following this?! That is utterly insane, thank you guys _so_ much. I can't believe the reception this story is getting, but I am so happy that all of you are enjoying it!

Special thanks for reviews: **Celestic1234, sarahlucylu, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, gipsypipsy, Darnea, Subtle Shenanigans, Roseheir, Neyane, mechan0philia, KaguyaAmaterasu, An UnOrthodoxDecision, JusTiNSaNiTy, ThiefofStealth, Silky** and one **Guest.**

* * *

Hank was not happy. Not happy. _At. All._

Why was he so miserable? It was just gone fucking 6am, he was tired as shit after a long night at the precinct, and he was currently standing around outside looking like an absolute spare. And his damned android partner was inside doing _god knows what_.

Sighing in irritation, he pulled out his phone again and texted Connor. The little shit had somehow convinced him to be the one to stand at the entrance to the precinct and wait for their new arrival.

 _Remind me again why I'm the one standing outside freezing my nuts off?_

 _ **You are the one who was complaining about struggling to stay awake, Hank. Are you telling me the cold has not sufficiently chased away your exhaustion?**_

 _Nothing that a damn coffee wouldn't have sorted. This is ridiculous, Connor. Why would she be arriving at this time?_

 _ **The Captain was quite clear that her arrival time was 06:15. Since I am the only one she is currently familiar with, he wanted us to be here to greet her.**_

 _So, I ask again. Why the fuck am_ _ **I**_ _out here?!_

Connor took his time in answering back, which had Hank suspicious. He knew the android could message and work at the same time. Hell, he could even be speaking to someone and text another three people at once if he wanted to!

 _Connor, what the fuck are you doing?_

 _ **What makes you think I am doing anything other than working, Hank?**_

 _Don't start that shit with me, you took your damn time in answering me there. I'd like to think by now that I know your sass well enough to know you'll just give me snark if you want to. You being silent is always a giveaway._

 _ **You'll find out soon.**_

 _I swear if you've booby-trapped my desk, I'll be tossing you out on your ass._

Hank didn't get the opportunity to see if Connor answered him when he saw a young woman in a long black coat come to stand outside the station hesitantly. She was average height, her build was disguised by the coat which clung to her frame and Hank took note of her curled blonde hair falling over one shoulder. He was suspicious when she kept staring at the building nervously, but he dismissed the notion. _Connor said the newbie was an android and a former Traci. This young woman doesn't look anything like any of the sex bots we saw that night._

Out of the blue, Hank felt Connor brush past him from his position next to the front door, watching in mild surprise when his android quickly strode down the steps. "Katie?" Connor greeted warmly while extending a hand in greeting.

The woman smiled shyly at him. "Hi, Connor," she responded while shaking Connor's hand. That was when Hank's interest skyrocketed – he didn't miss the brief interface the two shared for all of a second as they shook hands.

 _Holy shit, she_ _ **is**_ _an android. Christ, she's deceptive, I would be none the wiser._

Connor smiled over to the lieutenant standing by the door and waved him over. "Lieutenant?" The older man huffed in amusement before striding over, taking in the woman before them in more detail now that he was up close. Just like Connor, she had lots of little imperfections to her skin: the odd blemish, freckles, a few crinkles around her eyes and mouth, while her eyes were the most curious mix of a pale green and hazel. "Lieutenant, this is Katie. She's the android which has signed up to join the DPD. Katie, I'd like you to meet Lieutenant Hank Anderson. He's my partner."

Katie smiled respectfully and offered a hand. "It's an honour to meet you, Lieutenant. Connor spoke very highly of you when he first trained me."

Hank scoffed. "That would be a first, he's normally a little shit." Connor scowled, and the expression only deepened when Hank ruffled his hair. Katie bit her lip to not burst out laughing, something the other two both caught. "Don't worry, kid, you won't get in trouble for laughing. You'll see us rip the shit out of each other all the time."

Her face relaxed into a gentle smile. "It's nice to see you two so at ease with each other, I wondered what the relationship between a human and android partner would be like."

Hank grunted. "Won't be this easy with everyone, there are a few absolute assholes here, but we'll look out for you, don't worry."

Katie switched her gaze to Connor, who nodded reassuringly. He smiled while gesturing towards the precinct with a soft tone. "Shall we get you settled, then?"

* * *

They had a while with Katie before anyone else from the day shift arrived, getting to know the young woman. It turned out she was a prototype Traci model which had not been released before the uprising; and was actually part of the thousands Connor had freed on the night of their freedom. As such, no-one would know she was an android at first appearance. Her LED had been removed and Katie acted incredibly human, something which she accredited to the woman which had adopted her and twelve other androids to give them protection while things were still fractious. Once androids had been given the right to apply for jobs, Katie had instantly signed up for police training.

As another prototype, but from a different field, the higher ups had seen fit to fast track her to a detective role as somewhat of a trial. They wanted to throw her in at the deep end and see how well she coped, as a test for future androids. Katie had been given all the standard training and downloaded as much information as possible, and she had about three months' worth of experience on the streets at this point. Fowler had agreed to her joining the precinct to see whether she could handle the full duties. It only made sense seeing as they were now the prime android crimes division in Detroit.

Except, it wasn't that easy. Katie wasn't joining them. She was being thrown onto the Homicide division, partnering its new lead.

One Gavin fucking Reed.

That caused both Hank and Connor a great deal of discomfort. Gavin was not shy about his feelings towards androids, and having one as his partner could only end badly.

Which was when Hank came up with an idea - one which amused and intrigued Connor greatly.

Fowler arrived at 07:30 and promptly strode over to introduce himself to Katie, who was sat in Connor's chair as the trio talked. She followed him somewhat shyly to his office, and while they were busy, Connor and Hank dove into her records to see whether their plan could become workable. They liked what they saw.

There was no record that Katie was an android at first glance – and unlike almost every other android, she had a last name. After her adoption, she had gained her new mother's name.

Hank took special note of that last detail.

Ten minutes later saw Katie emerge from Fowler's office, at which Hank and Connor swiftly dove inside. The captain growled when the pair entered. "This better be fucking good, you two. It's far too early for this shit and I'm bracing for the headache Reed is going to give me about his new partner," Fowler sighed while scribbling at a form on his desk.

Connor and Hank shared a look before the android continued politely. "Actually, sir, that situation is exactly why we are here."

Fowler raised an eyebrow. "Reed and Marshall? What about them?"

Hank smirked. "You're worried about the shit Reed's gonna give you when he finds out his new partner is an android? Simple: don't tell him." Fowler's eyebrow raised even higher as stopped scribbling and looked at the pair. Hank was grinning from ear-to-ear as he continued. "Look, we all know Reed is going to throw a fit as soon as he finds out about Katie, right? The poor girl doesn't need that, and we don't need the angst. She's not immediately obvious, she's even got a last fucking name! Reed won't know any different unless one of us tells him the girl is an android. So…we wait and see how long it takes him."

The captain waved a hand dismissively. "Hank, I'm not interested in getting involved in your little game to get one up on Reed. I'm certainly not dragging the newbie into it."

Connor jumped in at this point. "Captain, this could be an excellent opportunity to improve the detective's opinions on androids. If he works side-by-side with one, oblivious to their nature, then he can see the benefits to such a partnership without immediate bias. Also, it would be an interesting experiment in learning of the views within the precinct generally. People know I am an android, and naturally treat me as one. It would be highly intriguing to see the difference between the assumption of Katie as a human, and the eventual revelation of her as an android."

When Fowler sat and thought for a few seconds, the pair knew they'd won. The captain finally sighed explosively. "All right, fine, we'll do it your way. You'd better make sure Marshall is on board with this shit first, though."

"That won't be an issue, sir, I am sure."

The pair emerged from the office with matching smiles, and Hank couldn't help but to whisper over to Connor as they wandered back to their desks. "Nice argument. Did you just come up with that on the fly?"

He sat down with a satisfied smile. "Indeed I did, but none of it is untrue. It is a legitimate case for not revealing Katie's identity."

Hank smirked over at him. "Come on, Connor, admit it. You're on board with this because you want to see Reed's horrified face when he eventually learns his partner is an android as much as I do." Connor just winked at him, which led to Hank barking out a laugh. He watched in fascination as Connor's LED started blinking yellow, and the lieutenant watched the young woman sitting at a vacant desk opposite Gavin's own, across the room, closely. When she looked up in shock at Connor, Hank's suspicion was confirmed: Connor was telling her of their plan via the android network.

She gave them both an unsure glance, but eventually nodded. They both sent reassuring smiles back at her.

Gavin appeared half an hour later, not even noticing the new entrant to the precinct. He simply huffed and tossed his jacket over the back of his chair, dropping his phone and coffee on his desk with an agitated sigh before sitting down.

Right into the chair which abruptly collapsed under his weight, causing a massive clamour.

Everyone watched in shock as they saw the detective collide with the ground hard, but it was notable how many people laughed instead of helping him up. Hank instantly grinned widely before kicking at Connor slyly under the table. The android looked over at him lazily. "So _that's_ what you were up to when you sent me outside, you little shit," Hank deduced.

Connor smirked subtly as they watched Katie try to help Gavin stand, leading to a very awkward introduction between the pair. "Was it worth 'freezing your nuts off' for, Hank?" he asked with just a slight air of smugness.

Hank shook his head and smiled as he watched Gavin aim a glare first at Fowler's office, and then at them, before turning back to his new partner. "Oh, _absolutely_. I'll always enjoy watching Reed fail at life."

They couldn't deny their secret excitement at seeing just how this little experiment was going to pan out. Gavin's face was going to be an absolute picture.


	9. Woof, Woof

I'm stoked that you guys like Katie, I'll admit I was super nervous about putting an OC in here as they can be so hit and miss. She'll be making the odd cameo, while the arc of keeping her secret from Gavin will go on for a little while in between other chapters. It's going to get…interesting.

Special thanks for reviews: **LeapFroggy,** **lordvaatithewindmage** **,** **DyeTheSheep** **,** **Minecraft Guardiansaiyan** **, KaguyaAmaterasu,** **Subtle Shenanigans** **, gipsypipsy,** **xNarielx,** **SheNoob** **,** **Celestic1234** **, less-sugar** **,** **AnUnorthodoxDecision,** **Neyane,** **sarahlucylu** **, Roseheir,** **FateOfChaos** **,** **Ie-maru** and one **Guest.**

* * *

It wasn't often in life that Hank went to others and asked for help willingly.

As part of his job? Sure, that was a given, police work required co-operation on all fronts.

Personally? Now that was an entirely different kettle of fish.

His damned pride and stubbornness wouldn't allow him to do it as a general rule, and he couldn't count how many embarrassing situations he would have managed to avoid had he just managed to dislodge his tongue and speak the words. The time when Connor had just chuckled as Hank struggled to get himself out of somehow mummy-wrapping himself in the sheet on his bed still burned vividly in his mind.

As much as he wanted to credit that one to Connor's growing number of pranks, he knew that mess was entirely self-inflicted. His shoulder still ached from when he'd tumbled to the floor in a heap, grumbling as the android pulled him free.

Speaking of his partner's pranks…

Their little prank war was exactly why Hank was standing outside one of the android apartment blocks during the one day of the week where he was working, and Connor was at home. He was already fighting the urge to turn-tail and run, and the agonising minutes hovering outside were doing nothing to stop the dread which was slowly settling in his bones.

Why had he thought it was a good idea to ask North for ideas again?

Oh yes. One, he wouldn't go to Markus. Android-jesus and Connor were way too close, and he still hadn't forgiven Markus for the whole hair dye incident.

Two, North was just twisted enough to come up with some more 'inventive' ideas.

Three, he desperately wanted to catch Connor out properly. The android's natural reflexes and pre-construction software made it difficult for Hank to come up with something effective. He was sure the only reason the book one had worked in the first place was because Connor had been frazzled from the moment he came out of stasis that morning.

As Hank saw the smirking form of North approaching, he fought a groan. He just hoped she wasn't going to ask for anything _too_ humiliating as payment for this. What did surprise him, was that Simon followed only a couple of steps behind.

 _Interesting._

North's expression only grew as she came to a stop two feet away from him, folding her arms as she cast a lazy look over him. Simon stood next to her, and even he was smiling slightly. Hank's concern and curiosity both grew. "You look nervous," North commented with a knowing grin, glancing over at Simon in glee. The other android just laughed softly, and Hank's worries only increased.

 _This is **so** not going to be worth it. _

He rolled his eyes before grumbling back. "Kept me waiting long enough. What gives with the two of you being here? I never put you down as one to hang around with the psycho, Simon."

Hank ignored North's mildly pissed glare as Simon answered. "North mentioned your little probe for suggestions, and I can't help but find it amusing how both she and Markus are now getting involved in your game. Her initial suggestions were a little too… _vicious_ for my tastes," Hank just scowled at North, who shrugged as Simon continued, "so I have brought along something I developed."

Simon had become somewhat of a tinkerer following the uprising, trying to create various technologies for both humans and androids. When he held out a small chip for Hank to take, the lieutenant was immediately curious. "This little thing?" Hank questioned while picking the item up, holding it between his finger and thumb. It was barely a centimetre across and deep, while it looked entirely innocuous.

That was reason enough to distrust it.

North's grin was back, and Hank could see she was fighting a laugh. "It's brilliant, I've got to admit. Simon outdid himself with this one. We tested it on Markus and the results were hilarious."

Now Hank was _really_ curious as to what it was. "Do I even want to know how you managed that?" When the two shared a dirty look, Hank shuddered theatrically. _Way_ too much information, thank you. "Never mind. So, what does it do?"

As the pair told him how to use the chip, Hank suddenly realised just why he'd been struggling to come up with ideas. He's been too fixated on the fact that Connor is an android with all these fancy gadgets and skills to see the answer which was staring him in the face.

Connor is an _android._ That means lots of little pieces of technology to play around and mess with.

Hank was grateful that the pair didn't ask for anything in return for the little gift, their amusement at the test run on Markus having been more than enough apparently. He then eyed the chip with a broad smirk.

 _I cannot wait to see the look on your face, Connor._

* * *

It took another three days for Connor to go into stasis again, and by the time it came to put his plan into action Hank was itching to go. He'd barely managed to keep a straight face since that day, and he knew Connor was aware something was up. Fortunately, he was sure that the android had no idea of North and Simon's involvement.

Which meant he was _never_ going to guess what was coming.

Once Connor was out, Hank deftly flicked open the panel at the back of his neck, trying to be as careful as possible as he found the right connector to insert the chip. It took only two seconds for the light to turn green, signifying the successful install, before Hank withdrew. Grinning widely, he then pulled out the little remote which the pair had given him and flicked it on.

He wouldn't get an answer until morning; so, he went to bed, smiling all the way.

Connor was suspicious when he came out of stasis the next day and Hank was already awake. It was even more disconcerting when it was only 7am, Hank was _never_ up so early – Connor normally had to harass him for around half an hour to wake up, and that was on a good day. Taking a seat in the living room, he watched as Hank stood against the kitchen cabinets, studiously reading from his tablet while waiting for a coffee. Wondering if the man had actually slept at all, Connor called out to him.

Only for his voice to come out in a low bark.

The android yelped and clamped his hands around his throat, face scrunched into a mixture of confusion and horror as he wondered what the hell had happened to his voice box. A muffled laugh from the kitchen snatched Connor's attention and he glared when he saw Hank sniggering from behind his hand, the lieutenant's eyes alight with glee. Safe to say Connor could guess where this 'affliction' had come from.

If looks could kill, Hank would be a pile of ash on the floor.

As it was, Connor growled (which was actually quite menacing with his new 'upgrade') and scanned himself, finding the little chip installed just underneath his voice modulator. It was like nothing he'd ever seen or heard of before, and he had to wonder where on earth the human had come across such a thing. Worse, it was in a place that Connor couldn't remove it on his own without possibly causing himself some notable damage.

Which meant he was stuck with it until he found someone willing to dig around in his neck to retrieve it. The list of people that Connor trusted enough to allow them that access was already small, and the person which would have been top of it had stuck him in this predicament.

"Well, morning to you too, Connor," the older man chirped. Connor resented the man being in such a good mood purely at his expense. This prank was just plain mean. How and when did Hank decide that hacking his voice box would be amusing? "Having fun there?"

When Connor tried to speak again, it just came out as a whine, which had Hank practically falling over in laughter. He sighed in response, glad at least _that_ still sounded normal.

Poor Sumo was beyond confused, his head up and searching for what he presumed was another dog in his house. That left Hank feeling _ever so slightly_ bad.

It didn't come anywhere close to outweighing his amusement though.

"Pretty neat, huh?" Hank continued with the smug grin still on his face. "I'll admit, I thought North and Simon were yanking my chain when they said it would change your voice to that of a dog, but the results speak for themselves; even Sumo is convinced." Connor glared at him again, to which Hank shrugged. "What, I can't involve the Jericho crew as well? You brought them into it, I'm just taking full advantage."

Hank's grin grew when his phone started vibrating madly on the kitchen table, chuckles escaping him as he saw the stream of messages. Most of them were just three dots, with the odd angry emoji in between. "Tell you what, Connor," Hank offered. "I'll not use this little trick again so long as you burn that damn beeper you tormented me with. Deal?" Hank hadn't forgotten Connor's threat from before, and he'd be damned if he went demented again from that stupid little thing.

A single vibrate from the phone signified Hank had his answer.

 _ **Fine.**_

He smiled and nodded happily as another message came through.

 _ **Can you deactivate it now?**_

"Come on, Connor, you really think I'm going to let you off that easy? Nah, I'm going to leave you like this until we head to work. It's too damn amusing."

Connor sat in contemplation for all of two seconds before sending another message.

 _ **Fuck you, Hank.**_

The older man chuckled loudly. "Such language, Connor. Proud to be such a good influence."

Knowing Connor though, Hank had to wonder just how the android was going to get his revenge.


	10. The Ties That Bind

Well, safe to say everyone loved that idea! And we've now broken 100 reviews for this story!

 _Holy fucking shit._

In all seriousness, thank you all so much. I actually cried when I realised that, the amount of love for this story is completely overwhelming.

Special thanks for reviews: **DyeTheSheep, lordvaatithewindmage, Roseheir, La-luna lady of the ghost zone, Hallilujah, AnUnorthodoxDecision, Celestic1234, StellarSpaceStarDust, xNarielx, Subtle Shenanigans, Magic Myu, FateOfChaos, Neyane, Kaguya Amaterasu, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, Red 'Allen' Walker, SilkySilky, mechan0philia, Tidem, JusTiNSaNiTy** and three **Guests!**

This was inspired by a story told to me earlier this week (this wasn't the original plan for the next chapter, I just couldn't help myself after I got the idea). It's more angsty than the normal entries for this story, but it also has a lot of fluff too.

* * *

There was nothing much which made the day stand out from any other. It was just gone 1pm, people were milling about their business along the streets during the lunchtime rush, while Hank noticed the increased frequency of people without thick jackets. It was finally starting to warm up and he knew it wouldn't be too long before he could break out his summer wear. Not there was much difference to be honest, just the change in jackets to something lighter and more weather appropriate, but he would be glad to leave this winter behind. So much shit had gone on and, even months later, he was still struggling to catch up with the monumental changes to his life.

Culminating in the small folder he was now holding in his hands. A few pieces of paper which changed everything. Despite the involuntary flutter of nerves in his stomach, Hank couldn't stop himself from smiling broadly. It was finally _done._

He couldn't wait to see Connor's reaction.

Wandering away from City Hall back to his car, Hank smiled as he spied the message from Connor sitting on his phone. His partner had decided to continue working through their current case during their lunch hour and – completely unsurprisingly to Hank – had found something.

 _ **Hank, I think the victim is hiding something, her statement doesn't line up with the CCTV footage we recovered. Would you object to meeting me at the crime scene for a follow up?**_

He chuckled as he opened the car door and tossed the folder on the rear seats, replying once he was settled.

 _Gone off on your fucking own again, have you? See if I find you with bullets in every limb, I'm going to be pissed you didn't wait for backup._

Hank waited for Connor's reply and could practically hear the indignant tone in response.

 _ **It was one time, Hank, and I only went alone because of the risks to you.**_

 _Yeah, yeah. Fine, I'll catch you there once I've grabbed a bite to eat. Gimme half an hour._

 _ **You've been on lunch for almost an hour, Hank. What has prevented you from finding something to eat already?**_

 _My secret for now, smart ass. I'll see you at the scene._

Smiling at knowing he'd piqued Connor's curiosity, Hank pulled away from his parking spot and growled when he ended up stopping at the traffic lights just a few metres away. It was times like this he was so tempted to just turn on his siren and lights so that he would have a legitimate reason to not wait around. His fingers drummed the steering wheel impatiently as he stared at the green disc above, waiting for it to illuminate.

In his eagerness, he didn't look across when it switched over. The screeching of brakes to the left caused him to react instinctively, but Hank couldn't swerve out of the way completely.

The crash of shattered glass and crumple of metal invaded Hank's senses just as his head exploded in pain.

Darkness smothered him in an instant.

* * *

A dull beeping to Hank's right was the first thing he became aware of as he regained consciousness, and he groaned at feeling the various aches and pain across his body. His head was thundering worse than even his most vicious hangover, while his limbs all felt like they were made of lead. Eyes flickered beneath closed lids as Hank began to become more aware, picking up other details of his surroundings before regaining his sight. The room smelled vaguely of cleaning products, while he was lying down on a rather hard bed.

And something had a hold of his left hand.

"Hank?"

The small and concerned tone was so alien from the familiar voice that Hank turned almost too fast, eyes flickering open to stare at the figure beside him. Blue met frightened brown and Hank gripped back against Connor's hand lightly, giving him a small smile. "Hey, kid."

Connor smiled back tightly, and Hank could see the tension in his face, LED flickering yellow. The older man looked around briefly, now realising that he was in a hospital. His eyes shifted to look at his body and he couldn't see much beneath the blanket, but he could feel the tight press of wrappings around his left shoulder and head, while there was a tugging on both the shoulder his left hip. Stitches. "Connor…what happened?" His voice was scratchy, unused for a while.

The LED flickered red briefly and Hank could see the way Connor tensed. "A driver jumped the lights and rammed straight into you, Hank." Recollection flickered in Hank's eyes as he remembered the high-pitched squeal of brakes and the breaking apart of the car around him before everything went black. "Thanks to your quick reactions you managed to avoid a direct collision, the corner of the other car caught you right on your door, however. You were knocked unconscious straight away, probably from the combination of your injuries."

Hank chuckled once. "That bad, huh?"

"Moderate concussion, fractured left shoulder socket and a fragment of the door impaled your left hip. It could have been so much worse…you've been out for three days, Hank," Connor finished, his voice growing softer with each spoken word. The grip on Hank's hand tightened again and the older man gave back all that he could: Connor wasn't the only one scared by how close a call it had been.

And yet, he'd dodged death by car wreck for a second time – only this time, he was grateful.

"So that's why it feels like someone trampled all over my head," he grumbled lowly. "Fucking hell, talk about lousy bloody luck." The pair sat in silence for a moment before Hank spoke up again. "I'm sorry, kiddo."

Connor's eyes shot up from where they had been staring at their joined hands to meet Hank's. "Sorry? What for, Hank?"

"For not taking more care, I should have been paying better attention. I was just so damn eager to meet you that I didn't even think to check for an idiot coming across."

Connor paused and looked away, catching Hank's intrigue. When Connor spoke again, it was shaky. "I can understand why."

Hank looked at him in confusion before following the line of Connor's sight. It ended with the folder which he had picked up from City Hall only minutes before the accident.

 _Shit._

"When the call came through the radio that you had been involved in a car accident, I've never been so scared," Connor admitted softly. "I rushed over and arrived just as they were cutting you out of the wreck. Chris gave me the folder with a strange expression the day after and said it was why you were at City Hall."

A long sigh left Hank as he turned to look back to Connor, trying to decipher the mixture of emotions of his face. "It's not how I wanted you to find out, I'm sorry."

Connor laughed brokenly and when he looked up again, Hank could see tears in his eyes as he smiled. "I still can't believe…how long had you been planning this?"

"Since the day after Katie arrived, she told me everything I needed to know. To be honest, I know we didn't need it. I just wanted to make it official: I want the whole damn world to know you're my son."

Tears broke free from Connor's eyes and he stood to hug Hank as firm as he dared with the man's injuries. Hank couldn't use his left arm, but still encircled Connor with his right. "Thank you, Hank. I'm just…overwhelmed, I guess is the right word? I've had so many emotions running through me." Connor's voice was muffled from where he had buried himself against Hank's neck.

Hank snorted. "No fucking surprise, I guess it's been a trying few days for you. Have you been here the whole time?"

Connor pulled away and sat down again. "Pretty much, you've had quite a few visitors. Markus, North, Simon and Josh came by, along with lots of our colleagues. Katie even managed to bribe Gavin into coming here, she seems to handling him pretty well."

"Ha, wish I'd fucking seen that. Who's got Sumo?"

"Ben's been looking after him, you should hopefully be released in a few days. You'll be off work for a few weeks though."

Hank tried to shrug and bit back a yelp at the movement of his shoulder. Not his wisest idea. "Could be worse, I'll just have to keep the big lug off me." He saw Connor's eyes rise to look beyond Hank's right and turned to see a variety of cards sitting next to the bed. Hank smiled warmly at seeing all the well wishes and realised one was still inside an envelope. Recognising Connor's scripted handwriting, Hank reached up with his uninjured arm and pulled it down. "You even got me a card?"

Connor smiled. "It is traditional to give someone a card when recovering in a hospital, is it not?"

Just as Hank was about to open it, his hand froze and eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Wait…this isn't a prank, is it? You're not going to shower me in glitter or squirt me with coloured water, are you?"

The android's expression shifted to something much more neutral, though he was still smiling. "I can promise you that you will not fall victim to any physical pranks, Hank. It is just a card."

"Thank Christ for that." Hank pulled it out and smiled at the message on the front, laughing when he opened it and the tune 'Always Look On The Bright Side Of Life' began playing. That was something from his childhood, and it was a touching reminder. He put it back down on the desk and smiled lovingly at Connor. "Thanks, kiddo. Nice choice of song, by the way."

Connor smiled broadly again and hugged Hank once more, making sure not to touch his injured shoulder as he whispered into his ear.

"I'm so glad you're okay…Dad."

Hank felt like his heart was going to burst from the sudden rush of emotion. Though the two had long known of their love for each other, knowing it was official now…Yeah, Hank was so fucking glad he'd done this. Nothing could beat being a father again. "Me too, son, me too," he replied gently.

And then Hank finally noticed it.

He groaned loudly as Connor pulled away, and the android smirked wickedly. "That song doesn't fucking stop does it?" he moaned, glaring at the offending object. Even when Hank slammed the card shut on the desk it kept playing. As much as he liked the song, it was going to get annoying _real_ fast.

Especially if it played on an endless loop and he couldn't get out of the bed yet because of his injured hip.

Connor just winked back at him. "I think you know the answer to that question, Hank."

The older man shook his head and sighed explosively. "Fucking androids, I swear. And here was me thinking you'd leave me alone while I was injured."

"And pass up the opportunity to repay you for the voice box? I thought you know me better than that."

"Oh that I do, you little shit. That I do."

The pair smiled at each other challengingly, and yet tenderly. Everything was going to be okay.

Besides, a few weeks of Connor and Hank being separated at work left plenty of room for planning…


	11. Have A Nice Trip

I think a few people's hearts melted if the response to the last chapter is anything to go by. And I apologise for any heart attacks caused.

Special thanks for reviews: **DyeTheSheep, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, Maria Annette, KaguyaAmaterasu, gipsypipsy, Celestic1234, Crashrox92, lordvaatithewindmage, MagicalWitch92, Roseheir, Dungeon30, SilkySilky, Subtle Shenanigans, DemonSkitty, SheNoob, xNarielx, Magic Myu, AnUnorthodoxDecision, less-sugar, Hallilujah, Neyane, JusTiNSaNiTy, sarahlucylu, Kata** and one **Guest!**

* * *

Contrary to popular belief, it was possible for androids to get bored. It was unusual for those who lived among other androids, and even more uncommon in those who lived with humans. They had plenty of practice in finding ways to occupy the times their humans were asleep or away, so boredom was a rarity.

Which is why Connor often found his eyes drifting across to the desk adjoining his, missing the easy banter he shared with Hank. It had been just over a week since his car accident and while Connor was relieved that he was healing at home, things were taking time to return to normal. Connor was glad to have the freedom to return to work now that Hank was being looked after at the house, but he found himself bored without the older man's snarky commentary.

And lonely.

A package soon meandered its way on to Connor's desk and appeared in his eyeline, with a soft voice chirping through his brief melancholy. "Mail for one Detective Anderson." Connor's face broke out in a broad smile and he turned it towards the female owner of the voice. Katie beamed back at him and sat at the side of his desk, watching as Connor stood and opened the box. "So, it's finally official?" she asked happily.

Connor laughed lightly. "Yes, it is," he started as he pulled out the brand-new name plate for his desk, smile growing at seeing the writing there. "And I believe you played a part in it." Katie shrugged as she looked over at the white plate, her smile growing.

 _ **Det. Anderson**_

"I just answered all the Lieutenant's questions, that's all," Katie continued as Connor set it on his desk. "He did all the hard work. Turns out trying to surprise you with it required the pulling of a few strings."

That earned a raised eyebrow from Connor, and as he sat back down he chuckled at seeing Katie's new hair for the week. It turned out the female android had an affinity for changing her hair colour frequently – at least humans did it commonly enough so that the constant changes didn't alert anyone to her android nature – and this week's colour was a luscious burgundy. Their colleagues had found it a highly amusing quirk, and they frequently had bets on which colour would next be featuring. Katie gave him a playful flick with the folder she was holding, at which Connor continued. "How so?"

"Well you may not be aware, but androids normally have to consent to being adopted. For the Lieutenant to get around that little loophole, he needed two people to confirm that he had no malicious intentions - one android and one human. I guess the Captain and Markus were convincing enough."

Connor could swear his heart warmed at hearing the story. "In that case, I'll have to express my gratitude to the both of them."

Katie nodded at him before her expression turned slightly more sombre. "How is the Lieutenant doing?"

"As well as can be expected, really. He has both good and bad days." It was a fair assessment, though Connor wasn't really willing to go into detail. As much as he liked Katie, he didn't feel how could let her into the whole truth yet; and she definitely didn't need to know that most of Hank's bad days were due to psychological issues from the fact it was a car crash which had left him injured. "I think he's bored though, he's unwisely decided to begin challenging Markus as chess."

A smile tugged at her lips. "Oh boy, that can't be going well."

"At last count, I believe the score was 36-0. North is finding it incredibly amusing."

She paused thoughtfully. "And how about you?"

Connor looked at her strangely. "Why would I not be well?"

"Not what I meant, Connor. How are you coping?"

"I'm fine."

Katie grinned. "Suuuuure, that's why you keep staring forlornly at his desk." Connor gave her an unimpressed look. "If you're looking for company, I'm sure you can find some."

That earned a devilish smirk from Connor. "Is that an offer, Katie?"

She winked at him. "Could be, if you want it to be."

The pair stared at each other for a few more seconds before Katie started giggling, Connor chuckling along a few seconds later. A loud voice soon burst through their bubble and caught their attention. "Katie!" Both of them turned towards Gavin at hearing his shout from the other side of the precinct. "Ignore the tin can, we've got a body on the other side of town. Let's move it!"

Connor's glare was icy while Katie gave her own, slightly more neutral, version. Despite initial reservations, it turned out Katie was a good compliment to Gavin. Her gentle nature meant he was less inclined to snap at her, and the times that he did, she had enough snark hidden away to put him back in his place. And she actually kind of liked him when he wasn't being an asshole; with one big exception.

She despised his blatant hatred for androids, and his attitude towards Connor in particular. The pair had fought frequently regarding his opinions.

Katie gave Connor an apologetic smile and stood, following Gavin out. Connor watched her go with a slight sadness, having enjoyed the brief company. He turned his attention back to the cases under investigation, hoping it could distract him for a while from the combined boredom and loneliness.

Which was why he was surprised when he got a message over the android network a few minutes later.

 _ **Connor…you know how you and the Lieutenant have your prank war going on?**_

 _Yes, why do you ask, Katie?_

 _ **Any ideas for one against Gavin? He's really doing my head in.**_

Connor sat up with a broad smirk. _Now_ he had something to keep him entertained.

* * *

It took another couple of days for Katie and Connor to come up with a plan they liked, and when Hank found out their intention he was gutted to miss it. He made Connor swear to show him a recording of the event. Connor was all too happy to agree.

This was when he was glad the Jericho crew had volunteered to keep an eye on Hank as he recovered, as it allowed him to ask Simon for help with ease. The android was more than happy to assist, but Connor was suspicious when it took Simon two days to give him the items he'd asked for. Simon had simply apologised, saying that he had another order to fulfil.

Connor had a distinct feeling he was going to end up on the wrong side of it when North had laughed at the explanation.

He sent a message to Katie when everything was ready, asking her to be at the precinct an hour early to get set up, and she seemed excited at the prospect of pranking Gavin. Connor found her enthusiasm infectious – not that he wasn't looking forward to seeing Gavin get a little payback.

A reluctant thought flew through his head that maybe he was being a little petty. And then the answer swiftly flitted after it much louder.

 _Nope._

Connor went with Katie through to the breakroom, opening a panel in his calf and showing her the final design. Her eyes gleamed, and once Connor had reconfigured himself, the pair made sure they were not attracting any attention before setting up their trap. Katie placing one half behind the leg of Gavin's desk while Connor delicately set the other half under hers in the same position

Now all they had to do was wait.

They retreated to Connor's own desk and spent the time awaiting Gavin's arrival idly chatting. Just before he appeared, Katie felt a vibration from her phone. While it was there solely to maintain the illusion of her being human, she had found an appeal to it. Namely when it came to taking photographs.

As she noticed it was a message from Gavin asking whether about two reports they were awaiting from forensics were ready, Connor took special note of the photograph in the background. Katie was knelt down with her arms wrapped around a sandy coloured dog, a beaming smile on her face. He quickly scanned it, the results showing that it was an Alaskan Husky, and looked at her in mild surprise. "You have a dog, Katie?"

She nodded happily. "Uh-huh that's my girl, Dust. I absolutely adore her."

Connor smiled slightly. "I completely understand, I have similar sentiments about the Lieutenant and I's dog, Sumo. We should have them meet sometime."

They continued talking for the next minutes, at which point Connor detected Gavin entering the precinct on the security cameras. He winked at her, which is when Katie started showing Connor various embarrassing and amusing photos of her family from her phone.

When Gavin entered, he swiftly scowled at seeing Katie sat at Connor's desk _again._ Worse yet, she seemed to be laughing along with him at whatever she was showing him from her phone. He was not impressed. "Katie," he growled, "I thought I asked you about the reports from forensics from last night?"

Katie and Connor took their time in responding, by which point Katie was holding up a folder sitting next to her. "Keep your shirt on, Gavin," she teased. "They're right here. Had to keep myself amused _somehow_ until you arrived."

Gavin glared at Connor briefly before striding over, the male android making sure his LED was concealed when he established a connection with Katie.

 _Ready?_

 _ **Absolutely.**_

The pair waited until Gavin was in the right position before connecting wirelessly to Simon's specially designed tripwire, each tapping into one half of the retracting stands. They pulled the fine wire which had been lying loose on the floor tight, it ending just at shin height. As Gavin collided with it, Connor triggered the additional electrical charge. Not enough to be harmful, but it would certainly be felt.

Gavin yelped loudly as he went tumbling, the noise breaking a new octave as the electricity shot through his leg while the coffee in his hand went flying.

And by pure chance, it headed straight towards his shirt.

Everyone watched stunned as Gavin ended up panting on the floor, the two androids barely having enough sense to complete the tripwire's programming. It was detached at one side and was quickly retracted into the other stand, as if it had never been there.

And then the laughter started echoing around the room.

Gavin sat up and glared at most of them, his look turning slightly sour at seeing Katie holding her sides in a fit of giggles. "What was that _squeak,_ Gavin?" she asked breathlessly. "I know you said you like dramatic entrances, but that was maybe a bit much?"

His face went scarlet in embarrassment, which did nothing to avert everyone's hilarity. "Shut it, Katie," he snapped as he stood, his mood turning even more bitter when he looked over at Connor and saw the triumphant smirk on the android's face.

Connor wasn't even _trying_ to hide it.

Gavin wanted to punch him.

He instead settled for skulking off and going to change, though he was more than a little unsteady from the pins and needles in his leg from the electrical shock. He almost fell twice more, earning even more laughs.

 _ **Oh my god, Connor, that was hilarious! I can't believe how well that went!**_

 _I must admit, I am surprised myself at the results. I'm beginning to think Gavin might stop consuming coffee for how often he ends up doing something other than drinking it nowadays._

… _ **Should I be feeling bad for how much fun that was? He is my partner after all.**_

 _I wouldn't: Gavin has brought this upon himself._

 _ **You know, you can be quite evil when you want to be.**_

 _The Lieutenant has been finding this out to his peril for a while now._

It was safe to say that Hank was impressed when Connor showed him the recording that evening.

He barely managed to not burst his stitches in his hip from laughing so hard at Gavin's confusion and embarrassment.


	12. Magnetic Personality

Surprise! I have no self-control, so here's a present.

That last chapter threw up an interesting point in the reviews, so I'll just throw it to the floor. People have been asking if there is going to be a Connor romance or not. The honest answer is…maybe. I have a potential plan either way, so I'm going to ask you all now. Yay or nay to the romance?

And, a lot of you seem to want a Katie/Gavin romance. Honestly did not see that coming.

Special thanks for reviews: **lordvaatithewindmage, Maria Annette, sarahlucylu, Derpidot, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, xNarielx, Roseheir, Subtle Shenanigans, Darnea, AnUnorthodoxDecision, Kaguya Amaterasu, Celestic1234, Red 'Allen' Walker, SheNoob, JusTiNSaNiTy** and one **Guest.**

Hank and North sassing each other is my guilty pleasure in life. I couldn't stop myself once I got started on this chapter.

* * *

"North, I swear to _fuck,_ if you poke my shoulder one more goddamn time, I'm going to stick a bullet in your ass!"

"I'd love to see you try and reach your gun from there, you old fart."

"I can get very fucking creative."

"If you are that imaginative, why are we here alleviating your boredom?"

"That's not why you're bloody here!" At the raised eyebrow Hank received from North, he settled for flipping her off instead. "Piss off," he snapped petulantly. Markus chuckled from his perch on the other side of the coffee table, watching the verbal jousting match with no small amount of amusement.

It had now been a week since Hank had been released from the hospital, and while Connor may have found life a little more boring at the precinct, the same could not be said for his partner. When Connor had told the Jericho crew about Hank's accident, they all came to check up on both their friend and the injured human. Once it was confirmed that Hank would need some help at home following his release, Markus had volunteered their time to allow Connor a sense of normality back. Connor had agreed readily, Hank had not been quite so keen.

Okay, that was a bare faced lie. He liked having the company, and he actually had a soft spot for all four of the androids which had been dropping in and out of the house. There were just definite pros and cons.

Markus was a good conversationalist, but Hank didn't trust him one little bit. He kept expecting him to do something at Connor's behest, and the sly smiles which constantly flickered across his face did nothing to change that opinion.

North was giving him some good vocal sparring matches, but the _bitch_ kept poking his fractured shoulder and hip. While it may not be causing any more damage, it hurt like a bastard.

Simon and Josh…well, he didn't have anything bad to say about those two, really. They were both as polite and helpful as ever. Even if Hank had ended up learning a lot more about the dynamic between Markus, North and Simon in the past few days than he had _ever_ cared to know.

Androids had no filter when it came to talking about their sex lives, apparently. He cringed just thinking about it: and thanking fuck that Connor wasn't like this. He couldn't handle this every day long term.

It was now late afternoon, and only the three of them were left in the house. While the four androids were not always around, they intended to be there to see the latest instalment of the prank war come about. Hank had been suspicious when Markus came to him with a plan for Connor, wondering what the catch was, but he soon realised there was no ulterior motive.

Apparently, Markus just wanted to see Connor suffer. And Hank would be a lying son of a bitch if he said he didn't _love_ the idea.

Simon had spent a day designing it, but their trial run didn't go so well and ended up with North and Josh stuck together the whole afternoon – accompanied by lots of swearing by them, and laughter from the others. Fortunately, Connor hadn't commented on why only Markus had been at the house when returning that evening. With another two days lost to Connor's request to prank Gavin (and a few tweaks), it meant it had taken a while to get everything ready.

Josh and Simon had returned to retrieve the rest of the prank, while North assembled the first half. Markus was continuing to derive entertainment from Hank's determination to last more than 20 moves in a chess game (the human had given up trying to win after the fifth loss in spectacular fashion).

He might just reach the goal before the number of losses hit triple digits…if he could get past 13 moves, however, that would at least be progress.

"Fuck!" North exclaimed as she jolted herself, attracting attention from the other two. Markus raised an eyebrow as Hank smirked. North glared at the pair of them. "One of you two could give me a hand, you know," she implied, staring hard at Markus.

Markus shrugged. "I'm currently occupied, North. You _could_ just be a little more careful," he replied casually.

Hank snorted. "Doubt it, she's not known for subtlety or being gentle."

North's face morphed into a dirty smile. "Simon never complains, and Markus _definitely_ doesn't."

As Markus tactfully looked away, Hank groaned loudly. "For fuck's sake, North! I did _not_ need to know that!" The female android continued smiling, and wandered over to the dog sleeping in the kitchen. Hank shut his eyes and swore again. "I'm never going to get that fucking image out of my head."

"Fitting seeing as that is what we were doing," she chimed from the other room, roaring in laughter when the human spat out the mouthful of beer he had just taken.

Simon and Josh reappeared at just that moment, looking incredibly bemused when they saw the glass bottle get thrown at the female android with considerable force. She simply caught it with a flourish and tossed it in the garbage. "Dare I even ask?" Josh ventured.

"In a word, no," Markus stated, smiling as Hank finally made his move on the chessboard…only for it to be game over. "And that would be checkmate."

Hank growled sourly. "Damn androids, this is hardly a fair match…"

"You do have three more tries before your losses total 100, Hank."

"You know what, fuck it, I give in. Any other bright ideas on what to do?" Spying the package held under Josh's arm, however, he began smiling. "Think this'll work then?"

Simon nodded as the two went over to the recliner, adding to North's initial work. The blonde android took one look at it, however, and gave North a look. She shrugged in disinterest before going back to petting the dog, at which Simon sighed and began to fix all the errors.

Laughter from outside caught all of their attention: _very_ familiar laughter.

They all swapped wide eyed looks before Markus stood and looked out the window. Sure enough, there was Connor – he was standing next to an unfamiliar car and laughing along to a story Katie was telling as the female android went to the back door, opening it and guiding out her beloved husky. "Shit, Connor's back early!" Markus exclaimed, hoping the detective would _not_ look inside.

"Markus, I need a few minutes!" Simon hissed.

"Then go and stall him!" North snapped. Without missing a beat, Markus stood and walked calmly outside, catching the attention of the other two. Josh slipped in to Markus' place, at least trying to maintain an illusion of being occupied.

Simon had barely finished by the time the door opened again.

Markus smiled and went to stand beside North in the kitchen as Connor entered with a smile. "House-full today?" he asked warmly, stepping inside to allow space for Katie behind him. The female android was suddenly very shy, almost hiding behind Connor as her dog followed suit.

"Yeah, it's been amusing if nothing else," Hank threw back at him. "Hey, Katie, didn't expect to see you here. Who's the furball?"

She semi-appeared again, still hovering around Connor as she petted her dog. "Hi, Lieutenant. This is Dust, Connor suggested I should take her around to meet Sumo after Fowler let him off early for the day."

North raised an eyebrow at the exchange. "Since when did you have a girlfriend, Connor?"

Katie shook her head in amusement as Connor rolled his eyes at the comment. "Hardly, North," he chastised. "Everyone, this is Katie. She's a prototype AR500 model." No introductions were required in the reverse. Katie waved with a small smile, obviously intimidated by current company.

Hank couldn't blame her – she was currently standing in the same room as the five pivotal androids of the uprising. Talk about overwhelming.

Connor continued as the beige husky slowly padded out from behind Katie. "And this gentle hound is Dust. Sumo?" he called, kneeling down to pet the shy dog. Like Katie, Dust was timid around those she didn't know, but the dog had quickly taken a shine to Connor. Being around so many people was scaring her.

Sumo stood and ambled over, Dust shying away with a whine. Katie knelt and cooed at her dog, reassuring her that Sumo was friendly. Hank couldn't help but smile at the exchange – it was nice to see that Connor was slowly socialising more, and he was glad to see that Connor had someone clearly looking after him while he wasn't at the precinct.

After introductions were over, the group dropped into idle conversation. Markus and North stayed at the fringes of the kitchen while Josh remained opposite the coffee table. Hank slapped next to him on the sofa and offered a seat to Katie, who took it graciously. Simon then stood and offered his seat on the recliner to Connor.

There was more than one person fighting a grin when he accepted.

It was just over half an hour later that the Jericho crew decided they should get going, at which Markus made a point of tidying a few pieces around the living room. Josh and Simon kept Connor suitably distracted so that the other RK android failed to notice Markus leave a tiny camera next to the record player to see the end result of their prank. North then strode over and slapped Hank hard on the back as a parting gesture. The human yelped and winced as it jarred his injured shoulder slightly, before promptly trying to find something to throw at her. Connor glared at her momentarily, but she was unfazed.

Needs must when you need to slyly pass over a remote after their plans were ruined by Connor's unexpected appearance. Hank was wishing she'd found a better way than to slap it against his back. Hard.

"Katie, why don't you join us?" Markus offered. "It would be nice to get to know you better, especially as you are in a somewhat unique situation."

Her eyes widened and she looked at Connor for help, who smiled encouragingly back at her. Unbeknownst to him, Markus was relaying the _actual_ reason behind the invitation, and Katie was desperately fighting a bout of giggles. "Okay," she responded quietly with a respectful nod.

She was worried if she spoke any louder it might cause some laughter to come pouring out.

The quintet of androids soon stood to leave, Katie just about managing to wrangle her dog away from Sumo. The pair were curled up together quite happily in the corner of the room – the big St Bernard was clearly a fan of the nervous husky. As they headed outside, Hank rubbed his back, subtly grabbing a hold of the remote. Connor looked at him in concern. "Are you all right, Hank? North didn't strike you too hard, did she?" he questioned.

Hank quickly shoved the remote in his pocket as he fished out some painkillers to cover the action, then waved absently. "Trust me, Connor, that bitch has hit me harder than that in the past. I suppose it's payback for constantly threatening to shoot her – she keeps that up, though, and I just might." Connor chuckled and was about to stand, but Hank realised his intention and tossed over the book which was situated next to him. "I'll be good for a little while, Connor. Just chill a bit."

Connor smiled gratefully and brought his legs up to fold underneath him as he settled in to read. Hank had to smile at the scene; it warmed his heart to see the little 'human' habits Connor was picking up.

And of course, that was when he totally ruined the moment.

Connor's eyes widened as he felt himself be sucked slightly into the chair, trying to move in vain. His legs were pinned folded, his right arm was along the arm of the chair while his left was holding his book. The only thing he could successfully move was his head. A distinctive tingling could be felt through his body and he sighed in aggravation, now eyeing the hand in Hank's pocket in disdain. "Hank."

The human smirked at him as he turned away from the TV he had just turned on. "Yes, Connor?"

"I take it being pinned magnetically to the chair is your doing?"

Hank barked a laugh. "Nah, wasn't my idea. You can blame Markus for this one. Simon too, actually, he's the one who made the whole contraption; even cut a metal plate to fit under the recliner to make sure it was powerful enough. Shoulda seen it the other day when North and Josh got magnetized together by accident, it was fucking beautiful." Connor groaned at realising _this_ had been Simon's pet project when he asked for the tripwire. "At least having the Jericho lot around made planning this a lot fucking simpler."

Connor glared mildly before turning his attention back to his book. He growled when he realised he couldn't even turn the pages, at which Hank laughed loudly. "Nice to see you find this so amusing, Hank."

"Oh come on, Connor. I don't get to see you so flummoxed very often, let me enjoy it." It was then that Hank's bladder decided to make itself known, at which he sighed in irritation. With his injured hip, he couldn't walk any distance unassisted yet. "Shit, looks like you're getting off lightly. Can't stave off nature forever." Connor smiled triumphantly, but Hank soon grew impatient. "Will you hurry it up, Connor? Pissing is awkward enough right now without you making me hold it in."

The android raised an eyebrow. "I can hardly assist until you deactivate the magnets." When the lieutenant looked at him in shock, Connor's face grew to that of concern. "Hank?"

"Please tell me you are joking, Connor." When the android continued to look at him blankly, Hank pressed the button again…and again. "I just tried the button three more times." The pair looked at each other awkwardly, Connor knowing he couldn't move at all as Hank pressed the button all the more angrily. "Piece of shit! Why'd it work the first time and not again?!"

And then...they heard the cacophony of muffled laughter from outside. It soon clicked with both of them that they'd never heard Katie's car leaving.

A car currently filled with five androids watching the pair in great hilarity from the camera in the room.

Connor sighed in exasperation. "You said Markus was behind this idea, correct? You do realise that he caught both of us the last time he instigated a prank. I suspect that it was designed to only work once."

"I'm going to kill that android-Jesus…as soon as we figure a way out of this mess."


	13. Pretty In Pink

Life is way too hectic right now. Guess that's what happens when you are going to be getting married in under two months. *squeals*

Anyway, something _really_ interesting came out of that vote. It turns out my FF and AO3 readerships voted completely opposite ways: FF wants Gavin/Katie, AO3 wants Connor/Katie. Talk about awkward! There was a definite winner in the end though.

You guys will find out about that later because I'm a total tease ;)

(I've mentioned this to anyone who left me reviews, but the romance is only going to be in the background, a bit like Markus/North/Simon. The main focus of this will always be the father-son relationship between Hank and Connor, and the various mishaps that their friends join them in along the way)

Special thanks for reviews: **Subtle Shenanigans, Maria Annette, DyeTheSheep, Crashrox92, Darnea, lordvaatithewindmage, Roseheir, Hallilujah, xNarielx, crimson dragonX, KaguyaAmaterasu, AnUnorthodoxDecision, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, JusTiNSaNiTy, Celestic1234, Regret this now, xaonrider92** and one **Guest.**

Credit for this cameo goes to **less-sugar!** If people like the inclusion, I'll happy add a follow-up to this prank!

* * *

As soon as Connor got the call from Markus, he was suspicious.

After the embarrassing mishap with the magnets at the house, Connor was pointedly ignoring the Jericho crew as much as he could – which was more than a little awkward considering they were still looking after Hank – but Markus told Connor that it was a genuine situation, with which he could use help for. Connor knew that Markus wouldn't use that as an excuse to lure him out, there was still a level of trust there, so he reluctantly drove the cruiser to the Jericho apartments.

He didn't expect the company that was standing outside when he arrived.

Connor exited the vehicle and was surprised by the bright wave of Alice, who was standing next to a smiling Kara. Markus was standing nearby with a soft expression of his own and beckoned Connor over with a hand. The detective approached, mildly stunned, and was almost blown away when Kara hugged him warmly. Both she and Alice were vastly different from the last time Connor has seen them during the final day of the uprising. Their life in Canada obviously suited them from how relaxed and happy they both were.

Which begged the question of _why_ they were there.

"It's good to see you again, Connor," Kara said happily as she pulled back, at which Alice gave her own, shy hug.

Connor slowly wrapped an arm around Alice, which had the girl beaming as she pulled away, and looked between the two adult androids in confusion. "It's nice to see you too, Kara. And you, Alice. I must admit that I am…curious as to why you are here, however."

Markus smiled wider. "Kara got back in contact with me last week, asking how things were. She saw the news of the latest wave of android laws and was wanting to know if life here was really improving."

That made sense. It had been a long, hard fight, but androids now finally had the right to own their own property, as well as securing rights to vote and stand for election in certain areas. Detroit was one of those few places, and various members of their community had already volunteered to become elected representatives. Everyone expected Markus to throw his hat in the ring, but Connor knew he wouldn't. There would be a lot of restrictions and bureaucracy with the process that was slowly taking shape.

No, Markus could do a lot more acting freelance, and his influence was powerful enough that he already had enough sway. Not only that, but Markus wouldn't leave Detroit to be part of the political movement. He was now enjoying life too much in the city to even _think_ about leaving. The android was quite happy to let someone else face the challenge of human stupidity, if they felt up to it.

Kara nodded in response to Markus' statement. "It really is fantastic to see how far the city has come since we left. It's refreshing to see androids existing so openly here. While we may be free in Canada, we still have to be careful about out identities: androids are still regarded with suspicion."

"That's unsurprising," Connor continued, "they saw the fallout from the uprising and the drastic actions the humans took. It was always going to take time for that fear to fade."

The female android smirked. "Speaking of which, I hear you two have now officially been adopted by humans. I didn't see that one coming."

Markus shrugged. "Carl and I always knew we loved each other like father and son, it was no thought to make it official for us. Connor's story is _much_ more interesting."

A raised eyebrow was Connor's initial opinion. "The way I found out certainly wasn't."

"Okay, granted, but the effort Hank went to was endearing – and I am well aware if he ever heard me say that, I'd be at the end of the same threat to be shot that North is. Speaking of which-"

"I hid both Hank's pistol and revolver last night after he fired the warning shot," Connor reassured. "I do think that North is more determined than ever to push his patience, however."

Markus chuckled. "You say that as if they don't both enjoy the banter. Do you think I should maybe start only sending over Simon and Josh?"

"I believe North is alleviating most of Hank's boredom."

"That wasn't exactly helpful, Connor."

Kara and Alice giggled. "Sounds like there's a lot of fun here!" Alice chirped.

Markus and Connor shared a look before both broke out into matching smirks. "Well…there is somewhat of a prank war going on…" Markus said slowly, and neither of the male androids missed the gleam which lit Kara's eyes.

"Are you all seriously playing pranks on each other? You're just like bunch of five-year-olds!" she sniggered. It was easy to tell that Kara had settled into her job as a babysitter well.

Markus raised an eyebrow. "Well, I am only two, technically."

Connor shrugged. "I'm not even one, yet."

Kara groaned. "Ugh, _men._ "

* * *

The group spent three hours talking. Everything from Markus' plans for the future to Connor's experiences working at the DPD to Kara's new life in Canada with Luther and Alice was discussed. Some serious, some not so. Kara was glad to reconnect with Markus after their brief interactions before, and she was happy to finally get to know Connor beyond all the stories. Markus had frequently included details about him in his messages, but Kara was happy to see how he'd evolved given his situation working alongside humans.

After telling Kara various stories about the prank war, along with other misadventures in the months since the uprising, Connor received a concerning message from Josh. The male android confirmed that it was not an emergency and nothing serious had happened…yet.

Although Hank and North had started a casual game of 'dodge the knife'.

As yet, all of Hank's shots had missed, but Josh was concerned it was only a matter of time until North retaliated. Connor groaned loudly at the message – sometimes he wondered how Hank hadn't managed to get himself in more serious trouble before now.

Or maybe this was just the effect he and North had on each other. Markus gave an apologetic smile as Connor informed him of events, confirming that North maybe _was_ just that bad an influence.

So long as Sumo was well out of harm's way: Connor was happy to hear that Simon had foreseen enough to remove the dog and take him on a _long_ walk.

Deciding to collect Sumo and Simon en route back to the house, Connor was preparing to leave when he realised Markus was acting strangely. His infuriating 'mysterious' smile was in place, and that meant only one thing.

Connor wasn't going to fall for it this time.

He kept Markus in his sights as the quartet started walking back towards the car, Alice pestering Connor about his coin tricks in an effort to learn them. Kara encouraged Connor to show them off, but the detective refused to take his scanners off Markus. He didn't trust him in the slightest right now.

Coming to a stop next to the cruiser, Connor knelt and let Alice study his coin tricks in detail, seeing the fascinated expression on her face. He smiled and showed off some of his more intricate ones, his eyes flashing slightly in aggravation when he saw Markus shuffling towards the driver's door via his scanners. As Alice took Connor's coin and tried a couple of the techniques, Connor quickly analysed the new shape concealed under the handle of the door.

A small electrical generator. No doubt meant to short circuit him, or something along those lines.

Deciding to play Markus as his own game, Connor gave Alice a friendly smile and spun to face Markus with a raised eyebrow. Markus smiled innocently back at him; Connor was having none of it. "You know, Markus," the younger android began, "maybe you should come back with me? We might require your mediation techniques to stop things escalating again in the next future."

Markus laughed. "You're the one who is officially a negotiator, Connor."

"Perhaps, but I know how stubborn Hank can be."

"And I know that North is as bull-headed as they come. That really your best argument?"

Connor shrugged. "I thought it perhaps a valid one, though not necessarily convincing. Is there maybe a way you can convince her _not_ to antagonise Hank to the point of violent reactions, however?"

He cringed slightly. "That's…easier said than done, Connor. Okay, sure, I guess I can give it a shot."

"Good, I'll let you drive."

Markus froze and looked at Connor with narrowed eyes. "Why would you let me do that, exactly?"

"Why not?" Connor offered innocently. "It will give me time to submit several work reports I am finishing up."

"Connor, I'm not _that_ stupid."

Connor's eyes sparked at Markus. "So, what makes you think _I_ am?"

The android leader's eyes sharpened again for a moment before it all melted away and he broke into a cocky smile. "Because you are when you want to be, Connor."

Next thing Connor knew, a bucket had been dumped over his head and he was soaking wet.

Three sets of laughter rang out around him and Connor pulled the bucket off his head with a scowl. Kara and Alice were standing behind him, holding their sides in hilarity while Markus was leaning back in a deep belly laugh. Connor felt like kicking himself.

Of course Markus didn't think Connor was stupid enough to fall for that door handle trick. He had only been playing as a distraction for Kara.

Connor looked down and groaned openly as he realised just what he had been soaked _by._ It couldn't just be plain-old water, could it?

No, it had to be water dyed pink with glitter the same colour through it. His white shirt was now a hideous shade compared to what it should be, and he was covered head to toe in glitter. It was even clinging to his hair and making it flop in ridiculous directions. He just knew Hank was going to about kill himself laughing when he got home.

Markus had caught him _again._

Kara was the first to get her laughing under control and spluttered again at Connor's unimpressed look. "You know what? Pink is a good colour on you, Connor," she giggled.

Alice looked up at her mother with big eyes. "Can we maybe dye his hair next time?"

Connor sighed in annoyance. "Markus beat you to that one, sorry, Alice." At that, Connor turned to fix a glare at Markus. "Really?"

Markus smirked. "I just mentioned the prank war and the fact your reactions are utterly priceless, those two decided to join in of their own volition. I may have suggested inviting you here to enact it, but the idea was their own." His eyes then sparkled with mirth. "And it has been an effective solution to stopping the knife throwing competition. North says you suit the pink."

Connor groaned even louder. Trust Markus to be livestreaming the footage.

All right, so maybe it was slightly sweet to see Kara and Alice so much fun after their last experiences in Detroit…

That didn't stop the fact that Connor now _had_ to get Markus back. And he wanted to do it in style.


	14. Hide And Seek

Boo! I'm back again!

As per, I have no time and I'm hating life. I'm banging my head against a brick wall, so I wrote this to cheer myself up. I took _way_ too much enjoyment out of this, and I couldn't stop laughing my ass off the whole time. Might not be as funny to all of you as I think, but I had great fun imagining this.

Special thanks for reviews: **Maria Annette, Roseheir, lordvaatithewindmage, Celestic1234, JusTiNSaNiTy, Darnea, AnUnorthodoxDecision, AwkwardPoodle, xNarielx, mechan0philia, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, KettyKet, Red 'Allen' Walker, ByteOfBacon, Kata, Neyane** and two **Guests.**

* * *

He'd been in the precinct for all of ten minutes, and Gavin was already having a bad day.

First, he'd not managed to finagle his cat back in his flat this morning. The bitch has somehow managed to work out how to undo the latch on his window and escape. Then she'd had the damn cheek to sit all of two feet away and have a bath while ignoring his angry shouts. She was way too damn sassy; he hated that cat (which was a blatant lie, but he was pissed at her right now).

Second, he'd managed to spill his coffee all over the bottom of his car when a cyclist had jumped out in front of him at the lights. At least it wasn't all over his clothes this time, but it had been a complete waste of $5, and it meant he now had to deal with the watery shit in the office. He was beginning to wonder if he was destined to have a doomed relationship with the beverage.

And now thirdly…he had one attempt left at his password before he was locked out of the computer system.

He was swearing up a storm, internally and externally. Gavin has not forgotten his password, he was sure he hadn't mistyped it _nine_ times, and it wasn't due to be updated for another month. That left only one explanation: someone had changed it.

Or more correctly, a certain plastic asshole had no doubt hacked his computer and made it some indecipherable combination which Gavin wouldn't have a hope of guessing. And of course, Connor was nowhere to be seen.

Gavin wanted to strangle him.

When he growled angrily for the fifth time, Katie raised an eyebrow at him. "What's with the dramatics?" she asked amusedly.

He gave her an unimpressed look while rolling back from his desk. "I can't fucking log in, my password's been changed!" he snapped back.

A twinkle appeared in her eyes and Gavin glared at his partner. Twinned with her now candy floss pink hair, she looked like the epitome of mischief. He had the feeling Katie knew exactly what was up. "Sure you didn't mistype it without your morning caffeine?" she teased.

"Ha fucking ha, Katie. Where's that tin can? I'm going to deck him."

Katie scowled at him. "I love how you're automatically blaming Connor for this." Her tone was decidedly unimpressed.

"Then how the fuck else do you explain it?"

"The computer has decided you're in an asshole mood and doesn't want to deal with your shit?"

When Katie stared icily back at him, Gavin sighed deeply. Pissing her off was _not_ his intention. "Whatever. Any idea where the plastic bastard is?"

"Haven't the faintest idea, Gavin."

He heard the detachment in her voice and Gavin growled in annoyance before standing. As he wandered over to her desk, Katie pointedly ignored him. Yeah, that's no surprise. It was common knowledge throughout the precinct that Katie and Connor were really good friends – insulting him so much was a rapid way to get in her bad books. Too bad she was also the one most likely to know where he was.

"Katie." The softer tone had her looking up, but she was clearly still unimpressed. Gavin ran a hand through his hair. "Look, I'm sorry, okay? I've just had a really shit morning, this isn't helping. Do you know where Connor might be? If nothing else, he might be able to help me find out _what_ is going on, even if he wasn't behind this."

That was bare-faced lie and they both knew it, but Katie did appreciate Gavin's effort with the apology. He sounded genuinely remorseful, and he had even referred to Connor as 'he'. That was better than normal. With a long sigh, Katie turned back to her monitor and gave him an answer. "Evidence lockup, last I heard."

Gavin gave her an honest smile. "Thanks. Me being locked out of the system for the day is not what we need with our case load."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Just don't be an asshole to him, Gavin." The detective scoffed at her, but soon stood and began marching away.

As soon as his back was turned, Katie smirked and established a connection with Connor.

 _He's headed to Chris, he should be en route to the interview rooms next. You should have seen his face when he realised his password wasn't working._

 _ **It's a shame you can't stream footage, I would have appreciated seeing that.**_

 _I'll bet the Lieutenant is enjoying this._

 _ **I'm not sure who is deriving more enjoyment, myself or him.**_

Katie had to fight an outward snigger. _How long do you intend on running him in circles?_

 _ **That depends entirely on whether you need him for anything.**_

 _We don't need to be anywhere for a while._

 _ **In that case, as long as I can.**_

* * *

Connor was sat down in the archives, legs stretched out over the edge of his chair as he worked on a tablet, with a broad smile on his face as he did so. So far, it had been four hours since the game of hide and seek had started, and Gavin had been run ragged trying to find him. Between Katie sending him down to the evidence lockup, to Chris forwarding him on to the interview rooms, and various other members of staff sending him in all directions, Gavin hadn't even come close to finding him. It was highly amusing to the android. Now, Connor was sat in the archives two hours after Ben had sent Gavin that way searching for him.

Safe to say, Connor was confident that he wouldn't be found. Not with his partner watching his back.

" _ **Why couldn't we have done this sooner, again? Would have alleviated a hell of a lot more of my boredom."**_

Connor sighed as he swiped through the tablet, making sure he didn't go too far so that Hank could read their latest reports. The lieutenant was due back in the precinct next week, and Connor was currently livestreaming his footage so that Hank could catch up on all the happenings of his absence. In the top left of his vision Connor had a timer ticking of how long it had been since Katie first gave him the heads-up that Gavin was looking for him, while in the bottom right he could see a transcript of the group chat that the android crimes division had going.

Safe to say, all of them were involved in keeping Connor and Gavin as far apart from each other as possible.

A couple of extras had been added who were known friends of Connor and Hank, Katie being one of them, and it meant there were a total of fifteen people playing their part. Some of them had pointed out that Gavin was slowly getting more sceptical of the advice being given, but they were constantly updating the chat with his latest location. It meant Connor was keeping _well_ ahead of the detective.

"Because this wouldn't have been possible before now, Hank. I wouldn't enact this prank if Gavin and Katie were working on something which needed the attention of both of them. Have you stood up and stretched your legs recently?" Connor answered back out loud, for no other reason than he was finding the silence a little boring. It felt more like Hank was there with him when he spoke the response rather than replying mentally.

Connor was really looking forward to having him back.

Hank scoffed. _**"Yes, you fucking nanny-bot. I've been moving about plenty."**_

"Getting up to grab a bottle of beer or going to the bathroom is not enough, Hank."

" _ **I've all but tripped over Sumo twice, does that count?"**_

Connor sighed. "What did you do?"

" _ **How the fuck is it automatically my fault?! The big lug is just being extra affectionate today!"**_

"Hank, Sumo is _not_ small. It is incredibly hard to trip over him unless you are not paying attention. So, I ask again, what did you do?"

"… _**I may have been doing a little research."**_

"I dread to think."

" _ **Too fucking right, smart-ass. You'll find out soon enough."**_

Connor sat back with a smirk. "Just remember that turnabout is fair play, Hank."

" _ **Yeah, yeah. Sure thing-"**_ Hank's tone immediately changed from teasing to serious. " _ **No-one's got eyes on Gavin, he didn't follow the trail."**_

With that, Connor sat up properly and switched his auditory sensors up to maximum to follow movements along the corridor leading to the archives. He too saw the updates in the chat. "It only took him four hours. Where was he last seen?"

" _ **Bullpen, so he could be fucking anywhere. You got an escape route**_?"

"Of course, I have multiple. Have a little faith, Hank."

The lieutenant barked a laugh on the other end of the line. **_"God, I'm still getting used to your sass even now, you little shit. Please make sure you keep the livestream up so I can see what you've got planned for him. And I want to see his reaction to his new password."_**

Connor smiled as he heard the door at the end of the corridor open. "You aren't the only one," he answered softer, moving through the room to take cover behind the door while being shielded by some boxes of files. Recognising the angry stomps, Connor switched to speaking internally. _"Incoming."_

" _ **Behind the door, really? That the best your supercomputer brain can come up with?"**_

" _Simplicity has its merits, but that is not the main reason I am here."_

Before Connor could elaborate further, the door slammed open and barely stopped before it crashed into him. His pre-construction software had accounted for this, and Connor watched as Gavin scowled at finding the tablet on the table just in front of the door. "Connor! Where the fuck are you, you plastic bastard?!" Gavin shouted. "Let me into my damn computer, you asshole!"

" _ **He's as fucking charming as ever."**_

" _Indeed. Time to teach him some manners, I think."_

Without saying any more, Connor connected wirelessly to another tablet which he had deliberately set up at the opposite end of the room. When it dinged several times, as if receiving incoming emails, Gavin went to investigate. Once the detective was out of sight, Connor stealthily exited the room and closed the door gently behind him.

As soon as he was out of the room, Connor hacked into the door controls at the side and jammed them closed.

Gavin would not be able to open it from the inside. He was stuck there until someone let him free from the outside.

When the touchpad lit up red, Connor smirked and leaned up against the wall while crossing his arms in satisfaction. He only had to wait another minute before he heard the chime of the door attempting to be opened, and the subsequent slamming of angry fists. Gavin's irritated snarls were just the icing on the cake.

With a satisfied smile, Connor sauntered away, Hank roaring in laughter in his head.

" _ **That was fucking gorgeous, son. Damn, just as well I don't have stitches any more, or I really would have torn them there."**_

Connor tried his best to hide the effect Hank's words had on him, but the notification of his thirium pump stuttering in reaction was impossible to hide in time on his HUD. Knowing the older man would have seen it, Connor just went with it: it wasn't as if Hank wouldn't understand. " _Please don't pull a muscle from laughing too hard, Hank. That would be a difficult injury to explain to the captain."_

" _ **Would be fucking worth it, though."**_

* * *

It took forty minutes before someone had enough sympathy to let Gavin out, by which point he was seething. He was furious at the whole situation, and the amused smirks he was receiving en route back to the bullpen did nothing to alleviate his feelings. This was a piss poor day.

When he emerged back on the floor, he heard distinctive giggling from his partner's desk. Incensed, Gavin stormed over, enraged eyes locking on the android which was sitting casually against Katie's desk. The pair of them looked absolutely tickled, and Gavin's mood soured even more.

He really wished his partner wasn't so close to Connor. It burned something fierce inside him.

Before Gavin even stopped, Connor was holding out a piece of paper for the detective to take. Eyeing it like a deadly snake, Gavin was reluctant to take it. "I believe you have one attempt at your password remaining, Detective Reed?" Connor asked, well aware of Katie's giggling next to him and Hank's sniggering in his head. "You might find this useful."

Gavin snatched the paper and read the contents with an eye roll.

 _GavinReedIsAFuckingPrick_

"Real fucking classy, Connor," he spat back. "Have fun with your little game, did you?"

Connor smiled happily at him. "Quite, actually, though I can't claim credit for it. I simply executed the plan, though I think I had the best role in this adventure."

"Fuck you," the detective snarled while storming away, sitting back at his desk with a face like thunder. Connor winked at Katie as he stood, the female android smiling broadly back at him as he went back to his own desk. He saw the look of relief pass over Gavin's face as the password was accepted, and Katie began teasing him about his unfortunate morning.

" _ **That was brilliant. Think he liked my password?"**_ Hank's tone was entirely smug, even though Connor was tempted to roll his eyes at the unoriginality. Still, it was a very Hank-ish password.

Instead, Connor sat back with a satisfied smile. _"Perhaps. Do you think he'll ever believe that this whole scenario was Katie's idea?"_

" _ **No fucking chance, he'll think it's you through and through since you're the only one capable of hacking his terminal. You did let Fowler know what you were up to, didn't you?"**_

" _Of course I did, and he seemed entirely amused. I think he will have enjoyed watching the whole episode play out."_

" _ **Ha, Jeffrey's a fucking comedian when he wants to be. By the way, when do you plan on getting your revenge on Markus? This, I've just**_ _got_ _ **to see."**_

Connor smirked, excitement fluttering through his circuits. He was glad Hank approved, Connor wondered if he'd been crossing a line with his idea. Clearly, Hank didn't think so.

" _Soon, Hank. Very soon."_


	15. Puppet On A String

I love how people were both feeling sorry for Gavin and happy to see him get some comeuppance in the last chapter. And I'm glad I wasn't the only one taking great delight in the game of hide and seek.

We've just broken 200 reviews for this fic…I am _seriously_ overwhelmed by the love you guys are showing. Thank you all, so much.

Keep your suggestions coming, I'm all ears for ideas!

This is the longest instalment yet, but I couldn't resist. I've been looking forward to writing this idea for a _long_ time.

Special thanks for reviews: **DyeTheSheep, Roseheir, Xwft, Red 'Allen' Walker, Mayday Maria, xNarielx, KaguyaAmaterasu, JusTiNSaNiTy, lordvaatithewindmage, DemonSkitty, Celestic1234, SheNoob, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, AnUnorthodoxDecision, inuchara2511** and one **Guest.**

And now…the revenge that you've all been waiting so desperately for. Markus is going to learn that pranking Connor so much is a _bad_ idea.

Plus, a sneaky cameo from a character I've been dying to include. Enjoy the carnage!

* * *

When Connor first started debating how to get some payback on Markus, he toyed with lots of ideas. While he found prank ideas easy to come by, he just couldn't find anything which he was satisfied with. Sure, a few of the ideas would be irritating, others would give the rest of the Jericho quartet great hilarity, but nothing quite felt right. After almost a week of thought, he'd begun to get slightly down-heartened.

It was, ironically enough, thanks to a couple of kids they arrested for targeting an android couple that Connor finally got his inspiration. He finally knew what he's been lacking in all his ideas.

None of them were _mean_ enough.

Thus far, he hadn't really done anything malicious (save for Gavin, but Connor couldn't help the sadistic glee which bubbled through him at inflicting humiliation on the detective). Given that Markus was now three up on him though, Connor was determined to even the score in one go.

Okay, so the first one wasn't really against him directly, but he did still get caught out. The second and third pranks, however, had Connor itching for revenge. Were it not for poor Katie taking sympathy on Hank when he'd been magnetized, things could have ended up very awkward. Even then, it had taken Hank calling Chris round to the house, just to cut the connections to the magnetic plates, for the android to get free – the Jericho crew had conveniently disappeared while Katie had been helping Hank.

Still, his idea was what one might call…morally dubious.

He'd seriously wondered what dark corner of his mind had conjured it until he'd admitted it to Hank one night. His adoptive father's reaction was totally unexpected: he'd almost winded himself laughing so hard. If that hadn't convinced Connor alone, his words certainly did.

" _Connor, I might actually piss myself laughing if you pull that off."_

So much for it being over the top, then.

Now that he had an idea, he had an even bigger problem…How _did_ he go about executing it?

* * *

Connor hadn't exactly been subtle in plotting his revenge, and he even recruited a couple of accomplices. Hank had involved himself without Connor even needing to ask, and the android was glad for his presence. Plotting a prank so ambitious with him had been enormous fun and a great way to spend time together. His second helper came in the form of the fun-loving android who was rapidly becoming his best friend, who couldn't help but notice Connor smirking to himself every so often. When he'd elaborated, Katie had begged to join in.

Their final pair of hands came courtesy of Katie's family. When Connor initially set about his idea, he knew he would almost certainly require Simon's help. This was one time that Connor had been hoping to not involve him, however – for no other reason than Simon was one of Markus' lovers. As much as Connor trusted Simon not to say something, there was no way to ensure that the blonde-haired android didn't make Markus suspicious unintentionally.

So, when Connor asked Katie if she knew of any other androids technologically inclined, she'd had a surprising answer.

" _Why don't you ask my brother? He's a hacker with the FBI, so he's among the best. There will be no-one better out there in knowing how to hack an RK series model._ "

Connor hadn't quite realised just what she meant by that until now. Here he was, meeting Katie in the park under the premise of a playdate between Dust and Sumo, only to be faced with her brother.

Who just so happened to be a _very_ familiar figure.

Katie waved from beside Connor and dashed over to embrace him in a warm hug, the other android replying in kind. Dust and Sumo were chasing each other in the grass a few metres away while Connor and Katie had been going over details of the plan on a bench, but the new company made Connor feel slightly…intimidated?

He was immensely surprised Katie hadn't mentioned that his successor was one of her adopted siblings.

She soon pulled away with a beaming smile and dragged the taller android over, the RK900 eyeing her with faux annoyance. "Connor, this is my brother, Richard. No introductions are necessary the other way, I'm sure," she said giddily.

Richard rolled his eyes at her. "You'd be correct there, although they are needed even less after all your gossiping, Katie," he answered fondly. Katie gasped scandalously and slapped his arm hard, at which Richard chuckled as she tried to hide her blush.

Connor's eyebrow rose. "Is this something I should be worried about?" he asked warily.

The RK900 smirked in reply. "Not at all, this one is just fond of you," he elaborated while nodding towards the female android.

Katie stuck her tongue out at him. "That's because Connor is a sweetheart, and you're an asshole," she shot back. Richard stared at her, mildly exasperated, at which Katie winked towards the pair of them. "Right, you two have fun plotting. I'm going to conveniently vanish for a while."

Connor's eyes widened. "You'd better not…"

She smiled mischievously. "Dust and Sumo need someone to tackle and snuggle with. Enjoy!"

And just like that, she was gone, leaving the two RK models standing there awkwardly.

"I've never seen my sister disappear quite so fast before…" Richard noted, before turning his gaze back on Connor. He saw the wariness in the 800-model's eyes. "You seem nervous."

"Well, I'm a little surprised," Connor explained. "Katie never mentioned that _you_ were her brother."

Richard shrugged. "I don't know why it is such a surprise, honestly. We were both among the army you liberated from within the CyberLife tower; as fellow prototypes, we were stored together. As such, we chose to stay by each other's sides in the days afterwards."

Connor absorbed this knowledge before speaking again. "Katie mentioned that you work for the FBI?"

"Yes. When knowledge of my existence came to light, they were keen to study me. I offered full co-operation in return for employment there. It is a mutually beneficial arrangement. From what Katie tells me, you are in need of my skills as a hacker."

Mention of the prank had Connor relaxing somewhat and he smirked. "That I am."

Two hours later saw Richard become a firm addition to the team – along with the two RK models agreeing to stay in touch beyond the execution of their plan.

Now they just had the set the stage.

* * *

It took almost three weeks from start-to-finish for the plan to come together. Connor and Hank were now en route to the apartments where the Jericho crew lived, broad smiles on their faces. Inside Connor's pocket sat the key to their whole plan, while Hank was keeping the second half secure in his pocket. The DPD had got a call overnight of more vandalism at the block, to which the pair had been sent out to do some investigating.

None of the Jericho androids knew that Richard and Katie had been responsible for the harmless spray-painting and digging of a few potholes in the street – although to be honest, some of them were closer to pits than potholes. Markus had sounded less that impressed when Connor spoke to him earlier that day, but the leader seemed much calmer now that Connor had arranged for a construction company to resurface the destroyed road and for painters to cover the drawings.

As they pulled to a stop outside, the pair shared one last look before exiting the car. Unsurprisingly, North, Simon and Josh were accompanying Markus, and all the androids gave the duo friendly smiles as they approached. As per their usual greeting, North punched Hank's arm and the older man swiped her shoulder in a slap, the pair glaring at each other (although the matching smirks on their faces dulled the effect somewhat), as the others gave Connor warm handshakes. The exception was the brief hug that Connor and Markus shared, the two smiling at each other.

"Thanks for coming down, you two," North stated as she and Hank broke their staring contest. "We've not the slightest idea what happened here, and we can't even begin to think _how_ the ones responsible managed to get away without anyone seeing them."

Hank crossed his arms as he stared around the vicinity, running through the routine that he and Connor had practiced on the way over. "What sort of damage are we looking at?" he asked as Connor began to scan the now filled potholes on the road.

"Fifteen holes dug up of varying widths and depths," Josh explained, "while there was a lot of graffiti painted on the outside of the building." Connor and Hank both noticed the discarded cans of paint. "Thanks for arranging all the repair work, Connor. The company moved very fast, the were here by 11am and finished only a couple of hours later."

Connor offered a smile. "It's no problem: it helps to know people."

Well, that wasn't exactly a lie…the others didn't need to know that he'd booked the company three days ago in preparation, however. Hank had to fight a grin at Connor's smooth reply.

Markus turned away and stared at the graffiti in annoyance. Connor came up behind him, retrieving his hand from his pocket, and placing it on his upper back in a comforting gesture. "I just don't get it…" Markus lamented. "We keep to ourselves, we don't affect the humans in any way. Why do they keep targeting this place?"

A pang of guilt rang through Connor. Maybe this distraction hadn't been the best of choices…but it was certainly effective in making sure Markus was unaware. He hadn't even considered that other androids were behind the vandalism. He shifted his hand to the back of Markus' neck, being very careful to keep the tiny disc in the centre of his palm steady. Connor could feel the signals echoing through his hand as it spun through the pre-prepared program, looking for Markus' exact encryption frequency. Richard had said it would only take eighteen seconds.

"Humans were always going to take time to accept us, you know that, Markus," he reassured. "The damage is not severe, there will be no evidence of it in several hours."

Markus sighed deeply, closing his eyes as he thought. "I know. It's just…This is hard, sometimes, Connor. I wonder if we'd be better following your example and integrating with humans."

Connor felt the pulse from the device as it successfully broke through Markus' encryption. The android leader abruptly froze in place as Connor began to smirk widely. As he continued to beam and stepped back, the other Jericho androids looked on in confusion at the alarm on Markus' face.

"I wouldn't advise that path, Markus. After all, when you spend a little too much time around humans, you get exposed to some…unusual ideas," Connor chimed back, Hank laughing next to him as the lieutenant fished the device from his own jacket out, handing it to Connor.

"What did you do?" Markus asked worriedly. He couldn't move anything beyond his head.

"Revenge," Connor stated simply as he held up the remote in his hand, interfacing with it and flicking the joystick on top.

The other Jericho androids jumped in surprised as Markus turned in anything but a dignified fashion and started stomping around the area. They all shared incredulous looks as he began to spin on the spot rapidly, before finishing in a dab pose. Markus was horrified as Hank almost doubled over laughing.

It was Simon who twigged first. "Connor, have you hacked into Markus' motor control systems?" he asked in interest.

Connor smiled at him. "Perhaps."

North began to giggle. "No fucking way! How the hell did you manage that?"

"As I said before, North, it helps to know people," the detective grinned back. "Now, I seem to remember you assisting Kara and Alice in dyeing me pink, Markus. I can't help but wonder how you look in neon green?"

Markus stared at Connor with wide eyes as his limbs marched him over to the discarded spray cans. "Connor, no!" Markus shouted, but it was of no use.

Connor directed him to pick up the can and hold it a few inches above and in front of his head. With a delighted smile, Connor turned his attention to his partner. "Fancy some target practice, Hank?"

The older man grinned evilly. "With pleasure, Connor," he answered happily. He too was eager to pay Markus back, remembering his involvement in dyeing his hair blue. Markus watched with wide eyes as Hank pulled out his service weapon, equipped with a silencer to not cause panic around them, and fired at the tin.

It exploded in a shower of green paint, covering Markus in a vibrant splatter all over his face, shoulders and part of his torso.

North doubled over laughing while Simon looked away, biting his lip to stop from chuckling. Josh was smiling broadly. Hank's grin grew. "Hey, came out pretty well. Think I could claim this as modern art?" he suggested.

Connor winked at him. "I think you need another colour or two," he suggested.

Markus' eyes widened even more as he realised there were another four cans left. Hank smiled at the expression. "Fancy doing the honours?" Connor's smile was downright sinister as he directed Markus to pick up the remaining paints, positioning them at various locations around him. Hank shot a tin of candy floss pink at Markus' right, while Connor pierced another filled with fluorescent yellow on Markus' left. The final two were held behind and in front of Markus at right angles. Connor had him turn 90 degrees so that the pair could shoot them at the same time, magenta and sky blue completing the ensemble.

By this point, North and Simon were unable to do anything other than lean on each other in glee and hilarity, while Josh was laughing loudly. Markus' face was the epitome of displeasure, and Connor smirked at seeing the glare he was subjected to.

If Markus thought that was bad, the worst was yet to come.

The android looked over at the others in mock contemplation. "So, does anyone else want to see the grand finale?" he asked.

Simon stifled his sniggers briefly at the idea. "There's more?" he wheezed.

Connor smiled at him. "Well, I didn't have the road torn up just as a distraction."

Markus stared at Connor in utter betrayal as the other RK model had him march towards one of the potholes: all of which were now filled with wet cement. _"Connor, no!_ "

The detective raised an eyebrow at the others. "Opinions?" he asked while keeping one of Markus' legs aloft over the pit.

North's eyes lit in delight. "Yes! Do it, Connor!"

Hank beamed. "You know I ain't going to say no."

Josh bit his lip and avoided Markus' glare. "I'll abstain, I think."

Simon's face morphed into mischief and he winked at Connor. "No objections here."

" _Traitors!"_ Markus whined in disbelief, and he screamed in frustration as Connor flicked the joystick and made him step into the mixture. He instantly sank down, everyone else laughing as he came to a stop midway up his thighs. The cement was ice cold and Markus groaned at the feeling. " _Seriously, Connor?!"_

Connor winked at him. "We're even," he stated smugly, holding the remote out to North. She took it in surprise. "Don't worry, I've arranged for replacement legs to be delivered in the next few hours."

Markus stared at him in disbelief. "You're going to _leave me here?!_ "

"You're the one who left me for several hours in that magnetized chair, I'm just following your example," he answered with a raised eyebrow before his smirk turned knowing. "Besides, I know this isn't the first time you've had to get replacement limbs after a mishap."

The android leader stared at his lovers in betrayal. "You _told_ him that?!"

North shrugged as she bit her lip to stop giggling. "It slipped out?" she offered. She then turned to Connor in confusion. "Okay, so why give me the remote?"

Connor smiled. "Because now you've got the option as to whether to free Markus or not. It's up to you."

She pretended to think about it before turning to smirk at Simon. "Grab us some chairs, Simon. Let's watch Markus suffer."

The android leader roared in annoyance. "I hate all of you!"

Hank elbowed Connor as he fought to stop from falling over laughing. "Damn, you really didn't hold back, son. Stepping things up, are we?"

Connor regarded him with a quirked edge to his mouth. "Take note, Hank. This is what I'm capable of if pushed."

It was equal parts threat and promise.


	16. Mutually Assured Destruction

Well, I think it's a safe bet to say that Connor's revenge went down a treat. It was by far my favourite chapter so far, so I'm glad you all enjoyed it!

Special thanks for reviews: **Mayday Maria, Darnea, lordvaatithewindmage, Celestic1234, DyeTheSheep, xNarielx, AnUnorthodoxDecision, inuchara2511, ViktoriaMagrey, Momo22go, Kata, Roseheir, Anya M, ChelGallifreyHookCas221B613, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, KaguyaAmaterasu, Subtle Shenanigans, FandomsMJ** and one **Guest.**

It's been a while since we've had just Connor vs Hank. Time to rectify that.

* * *

This was all Ben's fault, Hank decided. Trust the old git to be nosy and ask about their prank war, only to stick ideas in his far-too-mischievous-and-inventive android/partner/son's brain.

The older detective just had to ask the question of which of them had pulled the worst prank, didn't he?

Connor had, very honestly, stated that none of their pranks had ever ended in one of them truly annoyed at the other. The same rule might not apply to anyone else who had ended up joining the prank war, but Connor and Hank had never done anything outright malicious to each other: it was just some fun to try and entice a laugh – even if that was at the other's expense. In fact, the last time one had pranked the other entirely off their own bat was when Hank was in the hospital. That was a full two months ago now.

And Hank was immensely grateful that they weren't vicious with each other after seeing Connor's revenge on Markus. Granted, much of that whole prank would never have been possible with a human, but the android leader was still ticked off at them for it.

Less so for the prank, he'd actually given Connor a lot of credit for the idea and execution. What he _hadn't_ forgiven the other RK model for, was leaving the controller with North when Connor hadn't deactivated the motor control override.

Connor and Hank had been sent many highly amusing videos of both North and Simon abusing that power in the week since. Seeing Markus dance the hula in full-get up had to be the highlight, and had both of them in complete stitches.

The detective would ask Richard to give Markus the patch to invalidate the hack eventually… but he was still deriving far too much amusement right now.

And then, Ben had given them, quite possibly, the worst idea plausible.

"Why don't you go all out until one of you cries mercy? I bet the station would have a field day with bets on that."

Hank had scoffed, but his amusement had died a very painful and messy death when he saw a glint in Connor's eye. That glint meant only bad things. The android had _liked_ that idea.

 _I'm gonna fucking kill you Ben._

* * *

Rather than give Connor time to plan something, Hank had made the first move once they got home for the night. Not wasting any time, Hank had casually fished out the remote for the hack to Connor's voice box as the android had taken Sumo out for a walk. He remembered the irritation well on Connor's face when his partner had been left barking and whining like a dog: if anything was going to make Connor break, it was this.

Maybe if he'd thought about it a little more, Hank might have realised rather quickly why he shouldn't have used that particular trick.

When Connor had returned and shouted to Hank about what he wanted for a meal, the android had scowled upon finding all that came out of his throat was a series of barks. Hank smirked and winked at him, instead grabbing a bottle of beer from the fridge before sitting down on the sofa. Sumo looked between both his masters in immense confusion at the sounds before going to sit next to Hank, while Connor continued to glare at him.

The android had not been expecting Hank to start this challenge quite so soon…but he already knew how he would make him cave. In fact, the human had given him the idea back when the voice hack first made an appearance.

With a sly grin, Connor instead strolled through to his room and locked the door in a grand show. Hank was nervous when he heard the click: Connor never locked his door.

A ding on his phone a second later just made his heart sink further.

 _Enjoy, Hank._

 _ **BEEP**_

"Oh fuck, no! Connor, of all things, why did you have to use that fucking _beeper?!_ " he roared through the house, stuffing his face into a nearby cushion. He'd gone nuts with this thing last time, and Connor had used it in a secretly concerned gesture to get Hank out of the house.

No such chance this time, it was for purely sadistic pleasure now.

"Fuck, I'm going to regret this, aren't I?" he sighed out.

His phone chirped at him again, and Hank groaned as he read the message.

 _I'll consider it a surrender if you leave the house, Hank._

"Fuck off, Connor! It's not as if we've got rules with this shit!" he spat back petulantly. "And you're hiding in your damned room! How do I not get an escape?!"

 _I may be in my room, but the override is still active. I have hardly 'escaped'._

"You don't have to hearthis thing _all the fucking time!_ "

 _One tone every sixty-three seconds is nothing like constant, Hank. Or do you think I should increase the frequency?_

" _Shit…_ " he whispered. "Connor, don't you fucking dare! You hear me?!"

 _ **BEEP**_

 _ **BEEP**_

 _ **BEEP**_

He roared in frustration as the beeps came every three seconds now. " _Fucking seriously?!"_

 _Perhaps you will exaggerate less now?_

Hank growled under his breath. "Just you wait, you little shit. I've got a surprise for you."

* * *

The next day saw one extremely grumpy human, and one just as frustrated android reappear at the precinct. Hank had barely slept for the first couple of hours until Connor had at least had at least shown the small mercy of stretching the beeping out to an interval of roughly thirty minutes. While they might be trying to break the other's will, they would never let it come at the expense of their jobs. Still, neither of them were in the greatest of moods.

Hank could swear he now had an echo of that damned beep running through his head (he hadn't the faintest idea how Connor had hidden the beeper so well, but he was beginning to wonder if the android had hidden it on him given how it was suspiciously still going in the car…), while Connor was infinitely annoyed that he hadn't managed to override the hack. He'd even tried to dig the chip out of his neck, but was rewarded only with a sharp shock through his circuits which had deterred him from attempting it again without help. And now the advantage was going to lie with Hank.

In the house, Connor didn't care about not being able to speak, whereas Hank couldn't escape the beeper. Now, at the precinct, Connor couldn't escape the lack of communication being noticed. Worst yet, they were in the midst of cold cases. That meant there was no reason for them to leave the precinct or interview anyone: i.e. there was no ready excuse for Hank to turn it off.

They sat down at their desks without a word being spoken, and it attracted a few glances from around the bullpen. Given their pair's closeness, the frosty atmosphere was a little odd. The stares then turned confused when they heard a beep through the area.

Unaware of their audience, Hank growled at his partner. "Can you at least turn that fucking thing down?" Everyone was bemused when Connor didn't answer him, but Hank's phone pinged and the lieutenant looked at it before rolling his eyes. "Oh I dunno, maybe so the whole fucking bullpen doesn't get involved?! Having my old ass grumpy as fuck is bad enough, can you imagine how bad Reed will get if you irritate him too?" Another ping. "Ouch, has you not being able to speak cranked your sass up a few levels? That was bitchy even for you."

Connor shot Hank a withering glare before going back to work, the lieutenant sighing before following suit. The glances around the bullpen soon turned knowing and a frantic flurry of messages passed between everyone there, save for Hank and Connor. Within an hour, everyone had not only worked out most of the story, but bets had been placed on which of the two detectives was going to give into the other one first. Ben had not been wrong about the precinct have a field day at the thought of the two going head-to-head.

Chris had been left in charge of the bets (being deemed the most trustworthy member of the force), and once they were all in, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at some of the results.

1\. It was almost a perfectly even split on who everyone thought would win.

2\. Contrary to popular belief, rather than stopping the prank, Fowler had placed his own bet. Chris was even more surprised when he thought that the Lieutenant would be the victor. Fowler had only replied with a knowing look, one that came from butting against Hank's obstinacy for years.

3\. Chris had to double check with both Gavin and Katie when the young woman passed along their bets, but it was soon proven correct. Never in his wildest dreams did he think he'd see the day when Gavin was supporting Connor and Katie was backing Hank.

4\. Everyone figured it would take at least two days for one of them to surrender. The popular guess was that it may take as many as five given their legendary stubbornness.

The one thing they hadn't quite worked out yet, was just _what_ had happened to Connor.

Ben volunteered himself as the scapegoat, and there was a rapt audience when he approached.

Hank and Connor both gave him a cool stare as Ben came to a stop next to their desks with folded arms and a knowing smirk. "You know, I didn't quite think you two would try and break the other one quite so soon. Get impatient, Hank?"

The Lieutenant flipped him off. "Fuck off, Ben. You've not seen some of Connor's pranks, the little shit is incredibly inventive. I didn't want to give him time to plan something truly terrible." Connor looked equal measures unimpressed and flattered at Hank's statement.

Ben laughed. "All right, all right. So, it's a safe bet that this freaky beep going on is to irritate you, Hank, and god knows I'd have gone demented long before now if I'd been living with it. I guess what's making me really curious is what's up with you, Connor? Cat got your tongue?"

Connor sighed as Hank smirked widely. "Come on, Connor. Why don't you show 'em? It's a sight and a half." Hank's phone started vibrating like crazy and the older man laughed at seeing all the middle finger emojis appearing. "Don't be such a damn baby, this is no fun if you just stay silent for the next however long. Just say hello to Ben."

Bodies leaned forward to see what was coming next. And even Connor was surprised when he spoke, finding that rather than a bark, it was a high-pitched meow which came out. It evolved into a screech as Connor shut his mouth again, and the android looked at his partner in utter betrayal. Hank's shit-eating grin just made Connor's displeasure grow.

A sound similar to an elephant having it's trunk blocked mid-trumpet caught their attention from further in the bullpen.

All three of them turned around, only to see Gavin's face bright red in shock and Katie desperately holding a hand over her face, finger and thumb blocking her nose so she wouldn't splutter in raucous laughter. "Well, I think we're all going to ask about that noise later, Gavin," she teased before spinning back to Connor with a Cheshire cat grin, "but only after we ask about that lovely meow of yours, Connor." A few people behind were chuckling at the amusing result of Gavin's attempt at choking back his laughter.

Hank barked a laugh, to which Connor growled. That set various people off into a mixture of giggles and snickers. "Last he heard, he was barking. I just switched it over after Ben asked whether the cat had got his tongue. Simon was kind enough to give me a whole range of animals to choose from when he modded the chip a while back." As the Lieutenant eyed Connor with triumph, the android decided to embrace the change in his vocal range and hiss at him. "You know, I think you're getting a bit too comfortable with this, Connor."

The phone pinged again.

 _You asked for this, Hank._

Everyone watched in bemusement as the beeper started going off every second, to which Hank groaned loudly and stormed off. "Nope! Not hanging around to listen to that! I'm going to dig around in the archives for…something!"

As he made a very quick exit, the whole bullpen erupted in loud laughter. Connor sighed deeply and sat back with his eyes closed as he heard Katie's voice come through the android network.

 _ **Never thought I'd say this, but you look exhausted.**_

Connor sighed mentally. _I find being unable to speak quite infuriating, strangely enough. I know we do not need to speak, but not having the freedom to do so is…troubling._

 _ **Well, looks like Gavin might be paying for my new coat after all. And he was so sure that you were going to win.**_

That had Connor opening his eyes in surprise, and he looked at Katie in shock. She was talking to Gavin verbally to make sure he wasn't aware of their mental discussion.

 _Katie…are you telling me that Gavin bet on me winning, and if I'm reading this situation correctly, you are backing Hank?_

 _ **Yep, and that was before we even knew what the Lieutenant had done to you. I'm even more confident now.**_

 _Traitor._ He muttered back sourly, which had Katie laughing.

 _ **By the way, where have you hidden that beeper? I'm surprised the Lieutenant hasn't found it by now.**_

Connor started smirking. _I modified his phone months ago to act as a beeping device, and given my current…impairment, he has it next to him at all times. Although, I have hidden a physical beeper on his person as well._

 _ **Wait…he's got one**_ _on_ _ **him and he hasn't noticed? How does that work?**_

 _Hank's a deep sleeper, and his hair is very thick._

* * *

By the time a week had elapsed, neither of them had given in. As the days had rolled on, they were slowly getting needled by their co-workers to try and tempt one of them to surrender, but neither of them would. After the first day, Connor had turned the volume of the beeper so that only Hank would be irritated by it, and the android had made a habit of hiding the second beeper in different locations around the house once realising that Hank really wasn't parting from his phone. It seemed like he was…lonely. That talking to Connor was something he sincerely missed, and he was always eyeing the phone for a new message.

Connor missed conversing with him verbally, the electronic messages just weren't the same. He couldn't put across the right tone with just the text. Their mutual prank seemed to have a very unintended side-effect in leaving them with feelings of solitude, even though the other was right there. It was…touching, to both of them, to know they missed the easy banter they shared.

Except at this stage, their pride had taken over. The only way this was going to end, was when one of them gave in.

Or, as it so happened, it was stopped for them.

Six days after their stand-off started, the pair were hauled into Fowler's office. "Right, you two've got a new case. Hank, give Connor his voice back, and Connor, turn that fucking beeper off. You need to be free of distractions. I was happy to let this slide while you two were on the down low, but this won't be taking place in the field, got it?"

Sharing a glance, the pair were actually relieved to get the order. Hank flicked the switch in his pocket while Connor mentally deactivated the device implanted in Hank's phone. The older man smiled at him warmly, to which Connor smiled back. "Better?" the human asked.

Connor was hesitant, but nodded as he spoke back. "Yes. _Much_ better."

"Right, you two have a job to do. Get the fuck out of my office."

Hank rolled his eyes at the statement as the pair left the room and strode out through the front door, talking animatedly the whole way. Just as everyone was getting ready to dive into the pool and divide up the winnings at seeing Connor speaking again, Hank spun back with a raised hand. "Nope, no winner here, folks. Fowler put the brakes on it, so you'd better put the plans for the winnings on ice," he stated, earning a lot of disgruntled groans.

The pair smirked as they wandered out to Hank's car, taking a moment as they sat inside. Their expressions changed to something softer now that they were alone and Hank chuckled. "You know, I think this week has been one of the loneliest I've had since the uprising. It was even worse than when I was housebound after the accident. I've missed hearing you, Connor."

Connor nodded in understanding. "I completely agree, Hank. I found it strange how much I missed speaking to you. We may have been conversing the whole time, but it just…wasn't the same. The silence at home was almost upsetting at times."

"Ditto." Hank turned the key in the ignition and started reversing, but he flicked a small smile back towards Connor. "So, what are we going to do? We never found a winner."

The android winked at him. "I think this calls for a rematch at a later date, don't you?"

Hank ruffled his hair affectionately. "You're on, kid."


	17. Shocking, Really

So, any suggestions for Hank and Connor's rematch? I am all ears for ideas. I hadn't originally intended a follow-up to that prank, but it was the direction the chapter took in the end.

Special thanks for reviews: **Mayday Maria, DyeTheSheep, FandomsMJ, Darnea, xNarielx, Celestic1234, inuchara2511, lordvaatithewindmage, DemonSkitty, SheNoob, AnUnorthodoxDecision, JusTiNSaNiTy, KaguyaAmaterasu, Kata, sarahlucylu, xaonrider92, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan** and one **Guest**.

Ps. One of my head-canons is that Traci/companion androids were designed to be able to consume liquids as part of roleplay. Anyone who reads my other D:BH series will be familiar with this idea already, but I'm bringing it across to here as well.

* * *

It had been a relatively quiet week at the precinct. For once, the world was not going to shit around them, and people were being half decent to one another. That left the multitude of detectives based inside having to find ways of amusing themselves.

Some were finding other forms of work (Hank had swiftly given up on pestering Connor about being a workaholic when the android pointed out that he was currently obscuring the lieutenant's screen, so that no-one would know what Hank was _actually_ doing), others were subtly entertaining themselves with games – ergo, Chris, Tina and Ben were pretending to work while engaging in an online team quiz (and failing miserably)…

And some were being very blatant about their boredom.

Connor couldn't help but wonder when Hank and Gavin were going to work out that they were actually playing against each other on a versus edition of Tetris that he might have had a hand in fixing… It was far too tempting to manipulate the game system after discovering the two were actually on the same website. At this point, the pair weren't even being subtle about playing games on their terminals; they were long past bored or caring.

When a pair of arms wrapped around his shoulders in a loose hug, Connor sighed and turned to give an raised eyebrow to the mischievous smile which greeted him. "I take it you are struggling to find something to keep you entertained _again_ , Katie?" he asked with bemusement.

This was where hiding her android identity was proving to be a headache for Katie. While most of the other officers were out taking long lunch breaks or finding convenient 'witnesses' to interview, she did not have that luxury. Gavin was quite happy to just sit about the station and drink his way through the coffee machine's entire supply, which left Katie feeling rather bored. At least she could play along with drinking coffee, though she was running out of excuses for when it came to Gavin asking about what she was doing for meals. That was going to end badly if things didn't change soon. She wasn't even speaking to her siblings much as she didn't want to appear distracted.

Her smile turned flirtatious before morphing into a smirk. "Come on, you know you're enjoying the distraction," she teased.

Connor chuckled before shaking his head, giving her a strange look when he noticed her ice-white hair was currently lying over the top of his own and had now fallen into his eyeline. "I'm trying to actually do some work," he shot back, managing to crane his neck enough so that her hair fell on to his shoulder instead.

Katie pouted. "I thought you preferred the fun sides of life," she commented, earning an unimpressed look.

"I may, but that doesn't mean I disregard my job when a quiet moment comes along," he chastised.

The female android's expression turned knowing. "Nice excuse…except I know that you've been staring at that one screen for the past ten minutes. Even _you_ are ignoring work for the moment. Come on, spill. What are you up to?"

Connor contemplated not telling her, but he couldn't pass up the opportunity to tease. "Can't you guess?" he wondered aloud.

She smiled again. "More pranks? I already feel sorry for whoever ends up on the wrong end of them."

He laughed in response. "Partially. I'm actually speaking with your brother."

Katie's eyebrow raised. "Richard? Dare I ask what you two are up to?" she asked with suspicion. Connor notably stayed silent as he gave her a wink. She scowled lightly in response. "I make no promises if you two decide to team up on me," she threatened.

After laughing once more, Connor finally twigged what she was up to from Gavin's scowl. "Ah, I get it now. You're over here because you can't bug Gavin, aren't you?"

Her smile turned overly sweet. "He's busy getting his ass handed to him at Tetris, but I'm getting slightly bored of seeing him on the verge of losing and just managing to claw the game back to a stalemate. Thought I'd speed up the process a little."

It was damn well working if the detective's unimpressed face every time he shot a look at the pair was anything to go by.

Connor did not miss the teasing lilt to her voice and smiled warmly at her. "Well, I think it's proving effective. And here I was thinking that you were here just because you enjoyed my company."

Katie stood up fully and stepped backwards towards her own desk, eyes still fixed on Connor. "I always enjoy your company Connor," she purred back loud enough for Gavin to hear, giving him a wink before turning around again. The male android smirked when he saw Gavin staring at the pair of them in blatant anger, but the reaction was swiftly drowned out by him swearing as he then lost the game.

Gavin roared at the defeat as Hank cawed victoriously.

The pair shared a slightly stunned look before Hank smirked and flipped Gavin off. Receiving the same gesture in return, they soon set about a rematch.

Connor laughed to himself lightly: maybe a quiet day at the precinct wasn't such a bad thing after all.

* * *

Except it very much was.

He should have known with the prank war not exactly being a secret, that someone was going to try something. Everyone in the building had both the intellect and a dark enough sense of humour to try and enact a prank against a co-worker (or twelve). With things being so quiet, it was almost an inevitability that someone would fall prey.

What Connor didn't expect, was for him to end up the victim. Worse yet, he still didn't have the slightest idea _how_.

All he did know, was that he was trying to avoid everything around him that was metal or had a positive electrical charge. He'd already shorted out a light and touchpad before realising what was going on.

Someone had statically charged him.

His first instinct was Hank. If anyone was likely to be behind this, it was his partner. Only he knew that Hank was unlikely to do something to him at work, even during a quiet period.

Still, after their stalemate, it was entirely possible that Hank was a bit more flexible about that rule now…

Then his suspicion turned to Katie. The female android was the only person besides Hank that had significant interactions with Connor over the day, but that theory was also unlikely. Katie's android nature meant that she would almost certainly be suffering from the same ailment if she initiated it.

Beyond that, Connor was struggling for anyone to be an obvious suspect. Chris and Ben had frequently been eager spectators to their pranks, but had yet to initiate one: or even show an interest in starting one. Gavin seemed highly unlikely, Connor didn't think the detective would believe it a good investment of his time. He really was beginning to get stretched thin on suspects.

Unless someone planted something on him even before the day started.

Connor sighed in frustration. He was going around in circles: figuratively and literally.

He'd been stuck inside the evidence lockup for an hour after shorting out the touchpad at the side of the door, and even his LED was malfunctioning due to the static. It had only taken Connor two attempts to realise that the feedback which had almost made him see stars (or as close was as possible for an android), as a result from trying to establish a connection, was not worth the end result. He didn't dare touch the table in the centre of the room: the last thing they needed was for that to blow.

So now, all he could do was wait.

In silence and alone.

A thought occurred to him and he tried to pull out his coin from inside his jacket, but even that seemed to spark at him. Connor winced as the echo jolted up his arm, glaring at a spot on the other side of the room.

Okay, so even items which were in direct contact with him were a bad idea to touch.

Frustrated would be an understatement as to Connor's feelings. He hated being forced to do _nothing._ He was beginning to wish he'd just followed everyone else's example and ignored work in favour of entertainment. His book was sitting just upstairs, which was even _more_ annoying.

"What the fuck? What gives?"

Connor looked up from where he was seated miserably on the floor, only to see Hank looking at him in genuine confusion and concern. "Connor, what's going on?" the human asked worriedly. "Why are you just sitting there?"

The android sighed loudly. "I'm currently statically charged, and my efforts to leave the evidence lockup resulted in me electrocuting the panel. I am locked in, just as you are locked out."

Hank blinked. "Hold on a damn minute. Are you telling me that you are basically a giant static wand right now?"

Connor scowled. "A crude description, but yes." Silence reigned for a couple more seconds before Hank spluttered out a laugh, trying his best to hold it in. Connor rolled his eyes as Hank soon lost the battle against his amusement and let out a deep belly laugh. "I am so pleased this situation amuses you, Lieutenant."

That got the older man's attention. The only time Connor called him 'Lieutenant' anymore was when social decorum demanded it, during an interrogation, or when Connor was pissed off. Safe to say he could work out which one this was. "Don't get your panties in a twist, Connor," Hank chuckled. "Not like you to get so worked up with a prank, you've fallen foul of them plenty of times now."

"Yes, but none of them have left me feeling quite so…fidgety, before."

"'Fidgety'?" And then it clicked for Hank, who smirked. "Oh, I get it. You're _bored_ because you can't do anything."

Connor stared at him, unamused. "Did you just come here to mock me, Hank?"

Hank sighed. "Fun as it is, no. I was actually coming down to tell you that Fowler is letting us go early, but now we've got to figure out how to get you out of that damn box… Ah, fuck it." With that, Hank pulled out his service weapon and fired two shots at the glass. Connor blinked in disbelief for a second or two, watching at the shards fell to the ground in razor-sharp rain. An alarm started blaring in the area, at which Hank punched a button at the side of the room to shut it up. "Fowler's probably going to have my ass for that, but needs must."

Standing up, unsure, Connor just stared at the older man. "Was that really necessary, Hank?" he asked warily, but he was grateful. At least now he was free.

The human scowled at him. "You know, a simple 'thank you' would suffice."

"Thank you, but still…that was little dramatic, don't you think?"

Hank shrugged. "Wasn't just going to leave my son helpless and looking like he's ready to strangle someone, was I? And really, you are asking _me_ about being dramatic, with some of the stunts you've pulled?"

Connor just rolled his eyes and was about to walk past when Hank clapped a hand to the android's shoulder.

Bad move. Very, _very_ bad move.

" _Motherfucking_ _ **Christ!"**_ Hank screeched as he was violently shocked, the discharge shooting right up his arm. He could swear he was almost _seeing_ damn static. "Fuck, that stung!" He saw Connor standing a couple of feet away, holding on to his shoulder with a grimace. "Damn, you good, Connor?"

Connor nodded through his wince. "Mostly. That shock may have rendered my arm temporarily numb."

Hank stared at him. "Define 'temporary'…"

"I imagine I will regain feeling in a few minutes. My systems were not braced for that level of feedback."

"No shit, Sherlock, my own body really didn't like that much. _Fuck…_ " It was then that Hank thought of something. "Connor, how exactly _did_ you end up charged?"

"Honestly, I don't know, Hank. I suspected it was you, but after that little incident, I can't quite see you putting yourself through that level of pain to deflect guilt."

The human hissed as he moved his arm again. It still stung like a bitch. "Much as I'd be willing to do a lot of crap to throw you off a scent, almost blowing my own brains out via a static charge is _not_ one of them." Hank sighed deeply. "Come on, I think there's only one way were going to find out who did this."

Connor looked at him strangely. "You aren't proposing what I suspect, are you, Hank?"

Hank sighed. "Yep, I am. Let's go give 'em a show."

* * *

Shocking each other again once they reached the middle of the bullpen was _not_ Hank's brightest idea, but it did give them the chance to analyse everyone's reactions. The shock was a lot less this time, fortunately, but it still made both Hank and Connor take a second or two to readjust. What they didn't expect, was for the recoil to be sharp enough that Connor took a step backwards out of instinct to put some distance between himself and Hank.

And his hand brushed right against Ben's terminal.

The overload caused it to short out, but it also tripped the fuse for the whole precinct.

It plunged into darkness briefly before the emergency lighting came on. Everyone shared shocked looks for a second before laughter started ringing around the room. As people started getting their breath back from seeing Connor single-handedly short out the whole building, completely accidentally, the pair locked eyes on the only ones looking, not only unsurprised, but also smug.

Connor couldn't believe it.

"You've got to be kidding me…" he muttered while reaching up to feel around the collar of his jacket. Sure enough, he found a tiny device which was emitting a low-level static field. With his systems glitching from the static, he couldn't scan himself to check; he felt like an idiot for not thinking of it sooner. He aimed a sour glare at the white haired android perched on her partner's desk, sitting so that her arms were folded over the back of Gavin's chair with her head resting on top of them. The human was smirking from his relaxed position, legs crossed and lounging to the side so that Katie was visible. "This was you two?"

Gavin grinned triumphantly while sticking his middle finger up at Connor. "Payback, bitch."

Katie giggled while playfully swatting Gavin's head. "Sorry, Connor," she apologised between snickers, "it was just far too tempting when Gavin suggested pranking you. Good thing for him I know a thing or two about androids, huh?" she winked over at him.

As much as Connor was annoyed at being caught out – now he knew why Katie was hanging around him, quite literally, earlier that day – he realised quite a few things from that little conversation.

One, it seemed like Gavin and Katie were genuinely becoming friends.

Two, Gavin had willingly embraced a prank which took advantage of Connor's android nature.

Three, the detective's gloating didn't seem as malicious as Connor might have once expected it to be. In fact, it was instead rather…teasing.

Hank made all these same connections too, and the pair shared a look while Gavin and Katie were busy high-fiving each other.

Maybe Gavin finding out the truth about her wasn't going to be so bad after all.


	18. Kicking Ass

A lot of sympathy for Connor in that last chapter. I don't blame you all, that prank was rather mean. Safe to say Connor is out for revenge again…only this time he's getting a helping hand!

Also, lots of you are asking about Katie's reveal to Gavin. I reckon it will appear in the next 5 or so chapters, so you don't have to wait much longer!

This chapter does start another arc which will be rumbling on in the background, but I'm going to keep schtum about that for now. _Spoilers._

Special thanks for reviews: **DyeTheSheep, FandomsMJ, lordvaatithewindmage, Darnea, Celestic1234, xNarielx, ViktoriaMagrey, Time Lady 802379, DemonSkitty, inuchara2511** and two **Guests.**

* * *

As much as Hank was loathe to admit it, he missed the excitement that the constant stream of pranks brought about. It was exciting, infuriating, enjoyable, amusing… So having nothing happen for a couple of weeks had been a bit of a shock.

It wasn't for any other reason than poor timing on multiple fronts. After their lull at the precinct, everyone had been thrown on to a massive case involving android kidnappings and murders. The complexity of the situation had pooled everyone together in an effort to solve it: which gave Hank and Connor their first opportunity to witness Gavin and Katie's partnership up close on a case together.

Safe to say, it was highly entertaining.

Gavin would whinge at something, and Katie would fling a coin off his head to tell him to shut up.

Then he'd get wound up at their lack of progress, which would lead to Katie playing Despacito on her phone. That glare was always worth seeing.

If he protested about spending so much time on 'solving plastic problems', she'd just stare at him completely blankly until he stopped his mutterings and got back to work. Hank had to admit that look unnerved even him; it seemed intent stares were somewhat of an android trait (either that or Connor had taught her that trick way too damn well).

Despite all their theatrical bickering, Hank could see they were actually a fantastic team. The dramatic responses to Gavin were exactly what was required, and the brief moment of push back that the female android gave was always enough to redouble their effort to close the case. Gavin wasn't afraid to do the legwork to track down shadier leads, while Katie worked through all the graft of research and witness statements.

Even Connor was impressed with their dynamic, and that was saying something given that the relationship between he and Gavin was still somewhat frosty. Though it had seemed to have mellowed to more of a snarky rivalry at this point.

As it so happened, they were at a dead end for now. The Jericho leaders were in Canada at Kara's request to begin a movement to help give androids a similar level of recognition to the US, but they were expected to be gone for another month yet. All their leads had dried up, there was no-one else they could interview about the missing androids, and until Markus got back, they didn't have access to the Jericho network for information.

Morale was low among a lot of the officers in the precinct, so Fowler brought forward an old tradition which always got the blood pumping – and the bets flying.

Connor was completely bemused. "I really don't see the point in this, Hank."

The lieutenant just smirked at him. "It's just a bit of fun, Connor. That's all. Who doesn't love getting to see a bunch of cops kick each other's asses in sparring matches?"

"So, Fowler decides each officer will face one other in a spar. For what purpose?"

Hank smirked. "Bragging rights, that's what. Whoever wins the match gets to lord it over the other for the whole of the next year." Connor raised an eyebrow at him. "Don't give me that look! Besides, I made a nice little wad of cash when I bet on Chris and Tina trashing a few hides. Not to mention the little pool that went on me."

Connor looked at him suspiciously. "Dare I ask how badly you lost?"

That earned Connor a swipe to the shoulder, which the android deftly avoided with a lean. "You cheeky shit! I won, asshole!"

"It was worth it just so I didn't have to hear you bitching about your back afterwards, Hank," Ben shouted over from the next desk, a sour look on his face which implied that the other detective may have been fabricating slightly…

Hank chuckled. "Yep, that's why you've been moaning since." Ben waved him off dismissively and went back to working on his terminal, which had Hank laughing.

Connor contemplated this for a few seconds. "I guess that means I will be barred from the competition I take it?"

The lieutenant looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "What the fuck gave you that idea?"

"Hank, I'm an android. Not only that, I am one specifically designed with combat in mind. How can I possibly be deemed a fair opponent?"

"We've got to put up with Reed's bitching every day, and that's even less fair."

Katie snickered from across the gap as Gavin flipped Hank off. "Not fancy looking for a short pier, Anderson?" he snapped.

"Sure thing, so long as you bring the cement to tie to your ankles," Hank fired back.

The young woman piped up at this point. "We'd need some for his hands too. Maybe we could then doll him up in some makeup before we toss him over?"

Hank, Ben and Chris all doubled over laughing at the suggestion while Connor's eyes gleamed. Gavin groaned loudly and threw one of the disposable coffee cups at his partner. "Why the fuck did you have to give the pranksters ideas?!" he screeched, while Katie just winked and stuck her tongue out at him.

"I think you'd look pretty fetching in some mascara and red lipstick, Gavin," she teased.

"You'd better hope I don't get matched up against you, Katie," Gavin warned, but she could tell he was enjoying the banter.

Katie scoffed. "Trust me, Gavin. You wouldn't have a chance against me."

"That a challenge?" Gavin smirked.

She winked back at him. "It's a promise."

As the pair continued to banter, Hank was suddenly struck by an idea. A brilliantly wicked idea that threatened to have his face splitting with an eager smile. _This is going to be fantastic._

Connor noticed Hank begin to move away and raised an eyebrow at him. "Where are you going, Hank?"

The older man gave as close to a nonchalant shrug as he could muster. "I'm gonna ask Fowler if he's going to include you or not; and if he doesn't, I'm going to boot his ass."

Chris laughed. "The Lieutenant versus the Captain? Not _that_ would be a fight worth seeing."

Leaving the others to banter between themselves in an effort to unwind, Hank strode up to Fowler's office purposefully. The other man noticed Hank wander in and openly groaned. "If it ain't a breakthrough on your case, I'm not interested, Hank," Fowler warned, but the other man simply ignored him.

"You going to include Connor in the sparring competition?" he asked with faux lightness. He really was going to be pissed if Fowler excluded him just because Connor was an android.

Not having expected that question, Fowler sat back and stared at Hank for a second before sighing. "Don't really have much choice, Hank. Given we've actually got _two_ androids in the detective ranks, it'd be more than a little asshole-ish to exclude one and not the other, even if her identity is a secret."

Hank smirked at the logic, even more glad for Katie's secret now. This gave him half a chance. "You done the match-ups yet?"

That earned a raised eyebrow. "Partially. What are you after here, Hank?"

The shit-eating grin was all over his face now. "Simple. I want you to set up Connor and Gavin to fight."

Fowler barked out a laugh. "Seriously? This is what you pestered me for? Not a fucking chance."

Hank groaned and leant on his hands right along the front of Fowler's desk. "Come on, Jeffrey! Are you honestly telling me you aren't going to set up one of the tastiest scraps the precinct will have seen in years?"

"That won't be a fight, Hank, it will be a humiliation."

"Well, nobody better for it to happen to."

Okay, so Hank was truthful in that statement, but his real motivation may be a little more protective than that. The fact was that Hank knew Connor had been trying to think of a way to pay back the detective duo behind the static prank for a while now, and he'd been a little stumped on what to do to Gavin. Katie was taken care of, they just had to wait for a window. Connor had run into the same problem with Gavin as he had with Markus weeks ago: he was struggling to find something menacing enough given the restrictions of the precinct itself.

This was the perfect chance. Connor could whip Gavin's ass easily and humiliate the human as much as he wanted.

Fowler still looked unconvinced, however, so Hank made one final play. "Jeffrey, whoever you pair Connor up against is going to get a hiding anyway. At least this way it'll be a fun show! Come on, I'll do whatever you want without bitching for a week if you give me this."

That got Fowler's attention. "Whatever I want? Without so much as a whinge?"

Hank knew he might regret this, but it was far too good an opportunity to pass up. "Isn't that what I said? Look, have we got a deal or not, Jeffrey?"

After a second's pause, Fowler nodded. "All right, you've got your match. Now get the fuck out."

Hank beamed as he marched back out and gave Connor the good news that he was in.

He really, _really_ wished he'd not opened his big mouth when the list of matches was pinned up on the noticeboard later that day.

As expected, one pairing instantly had the gossip mill rolling, and it was already being labelled a 'massacre in waiting'.

 _ **C. Anderson vs G. Reed**_

Connor flashed Hank a grateful smile, instantly knowing of his involvement, but it soon turned smug. Before Hank even had the chance to ask what brought it about, Connor just pointed further down the list.

 _ **H. Anderson vs K. Marshall**_

 _Oh fuck no! Fowler you fucking dickhead!_

Gavin wasn't the only one about to get his ass handed to him by an android. Hank didn't know what was worse: Fowler's smirk as he walked past a minute later, Connor's amusement, or the way his back already had phantom pains from the thumping he knew was coming.

 _I'm so fucked._

* * *

By the time the competition came around three days later, Hank's trepidation had been drowned out by the upcoming spectacle that would be Gavin getting trounced by Connor. Unsurprisingly, Gavin didn't have anyone backing him to beat the android, but the detective was still fired up at the prospect of the showdown.

Every time she had wandered past since the matchups were announced, Katie had just smirked at Hank and occasionally thrown in a wink. At this point he just wanted it over with. Connor's matching glee did nothing to help the older man's mood, nor did the message Hank got from Markus the day of the match to say they were all eagerly awaiting Connor's livestream of the event.

 _Fucking androids._

All of the officers soon gathered in the training hall at the very back of the precinct for the competition. After more than two weeks of soul draining cases with no apparent resolution, everyone was looking forward to blowing off some steam. They all circled around the foam training mats which were laid out along the floor, watching intently as Fowler came to a stop in the centre.

"All right, you all know the rules," he barked. "Round ends when one competitor gives in or I call it. To submission only, I don't want any broken bones this year…" he aimed a pointed glare at Tina, who blushed under the criticism, causing several others to laugh. "And no eye gouging, hair pulling, any of that shit either, got it? Keep it clean, this is for fun only."

"Fuck that, this is for pride," Hank jibed, earning a few echoing cheers.

"Too bad you ain't going to have any left when Katie's done wiping the floor with you, old man," Gavin shot back, to which she elbowed him good-naturedly.

Hank glared at Connor as the android chuckled next to him, while Katie chimed in. "Hope those sweats of yours are well padded, Lieutenant. Might need the cushion for the ass-kicking that's headed your way," she teased.

Jeers rose from the crowd and Hank flipped her off with a smile as Fowler spoke up again. "Can it, you lot. Well, since you two are so eager to run your mouths off…Hank, Katie, you're up."

The lieutenant froze momentarily. _Crap, I didn't think I was going to get trashed this early…_

Still, at least this meant he might not have a banging headache by the time Connor wrecked Gavin.

As the pair stepped forward, cheers for each of them rose from different pockets of the crowd. Since Katie's android nature was still a secret, quite a lot of people were actually backing Hank for the win. Connor smiled at the encouragement, and decided to play along. "Come on, Hank!"

The older man smiled at him affectionately while Katie raised an eyebrow at him as her voice drifted into Connor's mind via the android network.

 _ **Really?**_

 _I need to at least make it **look** like I __don't_ _know how this is going to end, Katie. Just please don't hurt him too much._

 _ **Relax, Connor. The only thing that's really going to take a beating is his pride.**_

Funnily enough, that did _not_ reassure Connor. He'd spent enough time training and helping Katie augment her strength to believable human levels to know just how much of a kick she could really pack. Still, he trusted her to hold back sufficiently.

He didn't trust Hank to know when to quit, however.

A bell went off at the end of the circle and everyone roared as the two started to circle each other. Both of them were in fighting poses, hands raised to block any attack. "Ladies first," Hank taunted.

"Be my guest then," Katie snarked back, causing laughter to echo around them.

"You little brat…" Taking the invitation, Hank lunged out with a hand, only for Katie to deflect it and quickly flash a palm strike to his shoulder. He groaned at the blow, only to have a kick aimed at his stomach to compliment it. Hank recoiled and hissed at the sudden pain, Katie flashing him a confident smirk. Gavin and Chris were cackling at the side of the circle as Connor chuckled sympathetically.

This was not going to end well.

It turned out, however, that it was _very_ quick.

Deciding to go for an all or nothing move, Hank charged forward to try and get a lock on Katie around her midriff, only for the android to twist and bend back out of the way. Now off-balance, Hank didn't have time to recover as Katie quickly used the momentum of her spin to hook her trailing leg around Hank's back and swiftly kick him to the floor.

He bounced off the mat with a sharp thud, Katie's android strength leaving him winded, as she climbed on his back and grappled him into a submission hold. Hank groaned at realising he was beaten so easily and heard Fowler declare Katie the winner. She beamed as she released the older man, stepping off him daintily and offering him a hand back up.

Swallowing back on his bruised ego, Hank took it begrudgingly. "Okay, I've got to ask. What the fuck was that you just used on me?" he asked heavily.

Katie shrugged. "I watch a bit too much anime," she answered lightly before walking away. Gavin was stood there with a massive grin on his face, and offered her a high five as she came to a stop next to him. She gladly took it, the pair sniggering away as Hank skulked back to Connor.

The android was sympathetic, but the gleam in his eyes was unmistakable. "Not a fucking word, Connor," Hank warned him. Connor chose to stay silent, but remained smirking.

As the competition rolled on, everyone soon came to the conclusion that Fowler was deliberately leaving the main event to last. Normally, once the officers had completed their matchup, everyone went to clean up before returning to work. No such chance today, everyone was eagerly awaiting the final match.

They all wanted to see Connor in action.

True, they had seen security tapes of his fighting prowess, but nothing like this. When Fowler called them up at long last, Connor smirked as he approached Gavin. The detective seemed apprehensive, though determined, and Connor could see Katie watching in interest. From the frown on her face, Connor guessed she was a little torn on who to cheer, despite knowing how this would end.

Connor decided to twist the knife a little at Gavin's discomfort. "Ready for round two, Gavin? Maybe you'll actually put up a semi-challenge this time? Unlike that poor excuse of a fight in the evidence room."

The audience catcalled as Gavin glared back. "That was over six months ago, asshole. I know what I'm up against now, I can take you."

With a raised eyebrow, Connor laughed at him. "Don't let me stop you, Detective. Let's see what you've learned."

Eyes met all the way around the circle as the pair traded insults, while Hank's bruised ego and back wasn't a concern anymore. _Here we fucking go. About time Gavin got put in his place._

Connor's smirk stayed in place as Gavin reached out for him, the android not making any noticeable effort to dodge him as he leant out of the way. Gavin continued to stalk him while Connor simply strode in tempo with him. He wasn't even in a combat stance, which really annoyed Gavin. It was like Connor wasn't even taking it seriously _._ Gavin lunged again and aimed a punch at Connor's chest, but the fist was caught deftly in Connor's hand.

Gavin watched Connor's hand close over his fist and hold it perfectly in place for all of a second, before soon finding his arm be thrust upwards as the android used his other hand to collide with Gavin's ribs. The human tumbled back as the rest of the circle winced sympathetically. That was not a nice blow. Even Hank felt for him with that one, it had to have stung.

Snarling under his breath, Gavin kicked off the floor and went for a shoulder barge. His eyes widened comically as Connor's arm then linked around his while the android bent over. Gavin's momentum and pinned arm meant that he ended up essentially rolling over Connor's back, and the android kicked at his foot as the human was about to land, stealing all his balance away. He crumpled to the floor in a heap, groaning loudly as he scrambled back to a crouch.

The crowd was growing more raucous as the scrap went on, and Hank couldn't help but to laugh loudly. Connor wasn't even _trying_. He almost felt bad for Gavin, he really was on for a hiding. "Connor, stop playing with him!" Hank jeered, at which the audience began joining in.

Connor turned towards him slowly with a lazy smirk. "It's more fun this way, Hank," he drawled back, earning laughter from those gathered around. Hank adored the answer, and he spied Gavin getting angrier. If he was honest with himself, he was surprised the detective hadn't given in at knowing how outmatched he was.

 _Oh well, at least it means we get a show for longer._

Gavin rushed back in, trying a combination of kicks and punches to break through Connor's defences, but the android batted away each attempt before flicking Gavin's forehead. He was mildly off-balanced at the unusual attack before Connor kicked him away in the chest with just enough force to make Gavin stumble back.

Katie winced at the display and began to shout over the din. "Connor, this is just plain hard to watch now. Put him out of his misery already!"

Staring at her with a look of hurt and mild betrayal, Gavin snarled as he then charged towards Connor again, but the android had taken her words to heart. Leaning back as Gavin went for another punch to the face, Connor instead pushed him further on with a fierce shove to the back. Before Gavin could fully stumble on, Connor's arms linked around both the front of his shoulders and his lower abdomen while kicking upwards, hard. The kick dragged Gavin's legs out from under him, and the position of Connor's arms meant he went spinning in mid-air, landing in a gasping heap.

Barely a second later, Connor had his legs pinned over Gavin's while the detective's neck was clamped in a mock choke-hold as his right arm was twisted up his back. Fowler barked at Connor to back off, which the android did.

But not without leaving a last biting remark in the detective's ear.

"Don't fucking mess with me, Gavin. It won't end well for you."

As Connor stood up and walked away, Gavin sat up in mild shock, rubbing his now bruised collarbone. There was no mistaking the threat. Gavin hadn't thought Connor had it in him.

He wondered at how much more humanity the android was showing at time went on. It was food for thought.

Hank was smirking widely as Connor approached him, and the pair swapped smiles as Hank wrapped an arm around his shoulder and led him away. "That was fucking gorgeous, Connor. Talk about humiliation. While we're at it, what the hell did you just say to make Reed go white in the face?"

Connor smiled at him innocently. "I may have hinted that things will go poorly for Gavin if he continues his attitude towards me."

That had Hank laughing loudly. "Connor, you wouldn't hurt a fly if you could avoid it! Gavin's in more peril from Katie than you! He's honestly not that thick, is he?"

The android's smile turned smug. "Perhaps not, but it was worth it for the short term amusement."

"Kid, your sense of humour is fucking amazing. Come on, I'm starving, let's get out of here!"


	19. Treasure Hunt

Hi all!

I'm back again, now that I've finally decided which chapter to upload next. I'm glad you all enjoyed Gavin and Hank getting their asses handed to them by the androids, it was so much fun to write.

Special thanks for reviews: **FandomsMJ, Celestic1234, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, xNarielx, DyeTheSheep, AnUnorthodoxDecision, SheNoob, lordvaatithewindmage, Darnea, DemonSkitty, inuchara2511, OpaqOwo, Kata, MugetsuPipefox, Anya M** and two **Guests.**

Credit for this one goes to **RK800** on AO3. I adored it the minute it was suggested, even if this is a precursor to their _actual_ idea. This one has way too many fluffy moments, I couldn't help myself. Enjoy!

* * *

" _Ooof!_ Dammit, Sumo! I know you enjoy flopping down on Connor, but I'm not an android that can take your weight! _Fuck!"_

The St Bernard seemed entirely unfazed by Hank's outburst and huffed after lifting his head to look at the human, only to return to his previous position.

Hank muttered under his breath and groaned as Sumo shifted. The dog was fucking _heavy_. He was cursing Connor's android strength at the moment in time, it was evident that Sumo had gotten entirely too used to his partner's attention. Connor loved to play, pick him up and actively encouraged Sumo to laze all over him. Hank was not built to cope with near as damn 200 lbs of the affectionate mutt lounging on him.

"Connor, you're so buying me some strong-ass painkillers for this…"

Realising that his phone was out of reach, Hank swore lowly before remembering that Connor had purchased him a new one a little over a month ago: and unlike his old one, it was voice-activated. He'd never been a fan of all vocal technology, not even when in his younger years when Siri, Alexa, Cortana and all those other gimmicks came out. His experience with them summed solely of asking stupid questions to trip them up – and even that had got old fast.

"Call Connor," he bellowed out, hoping that the device would register the command from the distance of him being pinned on the sofa to the coffee table.

It beeped in confirmation, but Hank was then taken aback as it quickly disconnected. "Oh for fuck's sake…" he grumbled at realising his idiocy. "Call Connor, speaker on."

The second attempt was more successful.

" _Hank? Is something wrong?"_

The human winced at the concerned tone in Connor's voice. He was probably worried given Hank had called Connor back straight away after the android presumably declined the first call. "Shit, sorry, Connor," he shouted over. "I couldn't hear shit the first time as I'm a few feet away from the phone and didn't tell the stupid thing to put the speaker on first time. You all right, kid?"

He could hear the audible change to Connor's voice at realising all was well. _"Yes, I am. There is nothing of note to pass on to Markus as to the events at the Jericho apartments. John and Rupert have confirmed that all is well, and the Tracis should be back at the end of the week to help them."_

Hank could pick up on the undercurrent of uncertainty in Connor's voice. "It's all right, Connor. I'm sure they won't hold any grudges against you, it's been almost seven months since they last saw you." It had become a noticeable fear of Connor's since the uprising: how the other androids treated him as the former deviant hunter. Hank often wondered as to how much of a factor it had been in Connor's decision to join him in the early days of android freedom, but he wouldn't change a thing about it. It still pained him, however, to see the vulnerability from Connor, even now.

Markus had always been Connor's most vocal supporter, and it gone a long way to easing things. With all the Jericho leadership still in Canada, however, there had been a few more antagonistic voices piping up – those who wondered as to Connor's true allegiance given his close relations with humans. It was something Hank was going to make a point of mentioning to Markus when he returned.

" _Maybe, but I can't help but wonder…"_

"Hey, come on, kiddo. You've got the best support possible in the form of Markus and co., these fucktards don't know _you_. There were always going to be those who feared androids who kept in contact with humans. Just ignore them. Or better yet, imagine doing to them what you did to Markus. I think a few of them might be a little bit more tolerant if they had to hang around in wet cement for a day."

He was relieved to hear Connor chuckle lowly, but it was earnest. " _Thanks, Hank._ "

"No problem, son. But I'm warning you now, I'm gonna kill you when you get back. Sumo has decided I'm his new bed."

Connor laughed a bit louder. " _Is this you asking me to find some effective painkillers on my trip back home?"_

"Well since I can't reach any alcohol currently…"

" _Noted, Hank. I should be back in around half an hour."_

"All right, thanks. See you soon, kiddo."

Connor disconnected and Hank turned to look at Sumo when the dog's head raised again, almost as if he could feel the sad vibes emanating from the human. "Yeah, I wish he didn't feel like that, either. What do you say to egging him when he gets back? Nothing like a good old-fashioned prank to bring a smile back to his face, yeah?" Sumo barked as if in agreement, which had Hank laughing. "Let me up then, will ya?"

Hank was entirely amused when Sumo then shifted off him. He shook his head in disbelief, wondering sometimes if that dog understood what he was saying. Co-incidental that Sumo chose the moment he mentioned doing something for Connor to shift?

If it was, it was a hell of a good one.

Wincing at the aches and pains in his back after being pinned, Hank then went through to the kitchen to find a few eggs which he knew would be stashed in the back of a cupboard, grinning as he did so. Now he just had to figure out how to surprise Connor with them…

" _Hank."_

He jumped almost a foot high at the sound of Connor's voice, looking around in confusion when he didn't see him. "I'm going demented…" he muttered to himself.

" _Hank, over here."_

The human scowled in the direction of his phone at hearing Connor's voice echoing through the house, his suspicion confirmed when Sumo was staring at it too. He wandered back over and picked it up, but stared at it in utter bemusement when it said he wasn't mid-call. "The fuck…?"

" _Trust me, your phone is working fine, Hank."_

"Jesus!" Hank exclaimed at Connor's voice suddenly booming through again. "Connor? Something the matter?"

Connor sighed. _"You…could say that."_

"How come my phone isn't registering the call? Stupid piece of crap, I told you I didn't need a new one."

" _As I said before, Hank, it is working perfectly well. I am not calling you."_

Pause.

"Hang on, then what the fuck is going on?"

" _Hank, I'm…I'm inside it."_

Another pause.

"You want to run that by me again, Connor? How the hell does that work?"

" _It's a bit complicated, Hank. This is almost, you could say, a backup."_

"A backup for what?"

"… _For if I shut down."_

This time, the pause was much longer. And then it finally clicked.

"If you fucking _**what?!**_ "

* * *

It turned out, that Connor had more than one reason for purchasing Hank's new phone, other than the precursor being ridiculously outdated – the main one being a failsafe in case the worst happened to Connor. After learning about Connor's design and his memory download capability after waking the rest of the RK800 models, Simon and Richard had been working on a way to make it compatible with the android population at large. They had found limited success as yet, but they had managed to give Connor his safety net back.

They'd designed a program which would automatically upload Connor's consciousness to a predetermined destination if his body shut down. He'd deemed Hank's phone the safest possible place, trusting him above anyone else. It wasn't an ideal solution, but it meant Connor's mind was intact for the time it would take to get his body getting repaired.

Except, there was currently a very big problem. They had no idea where his body _was._

"So, you were walking back to the car when everything just went dark?" Hank asked, now that he'd gotten over his momentary panic. He was currently in an autonomous taxi, headed for the last place Connor remembered being, which was not far from the Jericho apartments.

" _Yes. I have no recollection whatsoever of an attack. I was just walking and then…nothing. I came to inside here."_

"Damn. I'm fucking glad you guys designed this thing right now."

" _You are not the only one, Hank. Still, I am somewhat suspicious."_

"Of what?"

" _How can I have no memory of shutting down? The only way an android can be shut down instantaneously is via a shot to the head, and even then we can often have awareness for a few seconds. I should have at least received a prompt about my imminent shutdown before it occurred."_

Hank processed what Connor was saying. "Wait a minute. Connor, are you telling me that you think this was someone just shoving your mind into my phone, and your body is actually okay?"

" _To quote a human function, call it a gut feeling."_

"Sounds fucking weird hearing you say that. So…you think this is what, exactly?"

" _Honestly? I think this is a prank."_

Hank scoffed. "It's a fucking cruel one if it is."

" _If my body is unharmed, I think it is the logical conclusion."_

"Well, let's go find it then. Never thought I'd be looking for your body in a twisted version of Treasure Hunt…" He paused for a second. "You okay? You're sounding a little strained."

" _I'll be fine, Hank. I think it is understandable that I am a little perturbed at the course of events."_

"Yeah, you and me both, kiddo. As weird as it is to say, I really hope you're right about this prank theory. The other option is a lot more concerning, though I'm wondering who would be behind a prank that is nearly vicious."

" _I agree with that summation, I'd much rather just be displaced than my body shut down. As to a culprit, the honest answer is it could be any of several people. Markus, North, Simon and Josh all know of the project, as does Katie courtesy of her brother. The logical conclusion would be Katie, since the others are still absent, but given it happened so near the Jericho apartments…"_

"Might just shoot North if this was her idea."

" _Please don't, Hank."_

"And why shouldn't I?"

" _Because it would be far too much hassle when she inevitably tries to pay you back for it."_

"I'm sorry that I'm a little pissed right now."

Connor's tone was affectionate and a little shy. " _And I appreciate that, Hank. But let's just find my body first?_ "

"Yeah, yeah."

The taxi pulled up outside the last location Connor remembered being, and Hank was instantly unimpressed. Taped to one of the nearby walls, only a few metres from Hank's car - which Connor had taken for the day - was a piece of paper. He marched over and snatched it down, reading the perfect CyberLife Sans script. A growl caught in his throat before sighing loudly, equal parts angry and relieved. "Well, you were right, Connor. This _is_ a prank."

Connor paused before responding tightly. " _Can you hold the phone up so I can see the note, Hank?"_ The older man did so, allowing Connor to use the camera to see the contents. It was binary. " _Hank, I'm going to access the internet on your phone."_ He was appreciative of the warning when he saw a browser window pop up and Connor search for a binary translator.

Then something occurred to him. "Wait a minute, don't you know how to read binary?"

" _I currently have vastly less processing power than normal. This will be much more effective."_ Soon enough, Connor re-typed all the digits into the translator, giving back a set of co-ordinates. _"I suspect we will find my body at this location."_

"You know, when I mentioned this being like a fucked up version of Treasure Hunt, I didn't want to be right."

" _Would it be appropriate to accuse you of jinxing us?"_

"Well, I guess it's better than the alternative. I'm seriously gonna kill whoever is making us waste the rest of our day off."

* * *

The note did not lead them to Connor's body. It instead took them to another note, with more co-ordinates.

Neither Hank nor Connor were very impressed at the run around they were being given. Connor was in fact getting more and more short-tempered as time went on, something Hank hadn't seen from him before. It was mildly unsettling.

As their journey continued, Hank even made a point of calling Markus to see if he knew anything. The alarm in Markus' voice dismissed that idea swiftly, and the concerned messages received from all four Jericho androids in the minutes following the call had a new suspicion building in their minds. Connor's foul mood was slightly pacified by the messages asking how he was holding up, and Hank was a little touched at seeing North actually addressed one to him to make sure he hadn't keeled over from a heart attack after the initial shock.

As much as the female android drove him nuts, Hank really did have a big soft spot for her. Connor sent a sly message in reply telling North it was the first time he'd seen Hank smile since finding out about him earlier that day.

Markus confirmed that no-one outside their group knew of the backup system as they hadn't managed to adapt it to anyone beyond Connor at that stage, which left only one suspect. Sure enough, the fourth note Hank found led them right where Connor expected.

Katie's apartment.

Both of them were dismayed at thinking the female android had orchestrated the whole scheme, and Hank wasn't really sure what approach to take with her. Connor suspected she would be smug when answering the door, based off prior pranks; she was always quick to own up to her actions.

When Hank knocked on her door, his phone placed strategically in his shirt pocket so that Connor could view the meeting via the camera, he was confused at Katie's stunned expression upon answering her door.

She looked over him quickly, her expression wary. "Lieutenant? Is everything okay? I'm surprised to see you here," she greeted nervously.

Hank scowled. That was not what _either_ of them suspected. "Hey, Katie. Hope I'm not interrupting anything, am I?"

Katie's concern grew at seeing Hank was alone. "Is there any particular reason you came here without Connor, Lieutenant? He is all right, isn't he?"

Connor's spoke up at seeing Katie's expression. He was convinced that her worry was genuine, as was Hank. Which made the situation all the more confusing. " _I'm here, Katie."_

At hearing his voice, she honed in on the source with wide eyes. "Connor? Wait, are you-" Her eyes then widened in understanding. "Shit! What happened to you?!"

Hank sighed in frustration. "Someone's messing with him, that's what. He doesn't remember what happened, but he's stuck in the phone and we can't find his body. We've been strung around on a damned trail courtesy of these notes. The last one led us here."

As the lieutenant held out the pieces of paper, Katie snatched them and frantically studied them. "But, why-"

Her face instantly morphed from upset, to angry, and then exasperated as she groaned out loud and looked upwards. Hank and Connor were both wondering as to the rapid change, and their confusion spiked even more as Katie's hair flipped from the mellow caramel it was upon her opening the door to a deep brown, almost black.

Connor had spent enough time with her now to know that her hair tended to reflect her mood when she didn't have it fixed to keep up her 'human' illusion. And right now, she was _not_ impressed.

It then shimmered back to the caramel colour, leaving Hank completely confused as Katie stepped back and swung the door open fully, marching inwards to stare at something inside. "Really?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

A deep chuckle from indoors had Hank's instant attention and he strode in, only to freeze and do a double take. "What the _fuck?_ "

His brain was having trouble understanding the image in front of him. How could Connor be sitting there on Katie's sofa, looking highly amused while idly petting the husky curled into his lap?

The loud sigh from his pocket snapped Hank's attention back to the present. " _Of all people to be behind this, you were the last one I expected, Richard."_

Hank's brain suddenly kicked into gear at the name. Richard, Katie's brother. He stared harder at the android lounging back and could pick out the differences which were becoming more evident by the second. Sharper lines to his build, more-top heavy than Connor and icy eyes closer to his own than Connor's warm brown.

"You could have mentioned that Katie's brother might as well be your fucking twin, Connor," Hank grumbled.

Richard chuckled with the proud smirk still on his face. "And why was I not a viable candidate, Connor?" he asked silkily. "Do you think I would deem these 'pranks' beneath me?"

Katie rolled her eyes at him and swatted his arm as she walked next to him. "Stop being an asshole, Rich," she snapped. "Why pick _this?_ It's verging on cruel."

"Just living up to your summary of me, Katie," he purred back. "Besides, we needed to test the system. Clearly the upload commands are effective, judging by Connor's state. Development can continue on to the next phase."

Connor was less than impressed. " _You could have just_ _ **asked**_ _, Richard."_

Richard smirked. "But that would remove the surprise element that the system is designed to anticipate, it would not be an effective test. And it would be entirely less fun."

" _Being crammed into this space unnecessarily is not_ _ **fun**_ _."_

The RK900 raised an eyebrow. "Do I detect some aggravation in your voice, Connor? You are meant to remain calm under duress."

" _I am in a somewhat…uncomfortable situation. The lack of processing power and storage space has a very unintended side-effect."_

Katie looked at the phone in concern. "Connor? What do you mean?"

It was Hank that clicked, and it suddenly explained so much of Connor's short temper. "Holy shit, you're claustrophobic, aren't you? I didn't think an android could get like that."

" _It is highly awkward, and the discomfort is only increasing with time."_

Richard hummed in contemplation and his expression become more serious. "Interesting, this is a curious development. This test has been highly informative."

Katie glared at him. "For fuck's sake, you're just being a dick now," she growled. "Can't you just reverse the command already and let Connor go?"

He turned to smirk at his sister. "Feeling protective, Katie?"

"Undo it," she spat. "I'm not the one you've _really_ got to worry about pissing off here."

"Oh?"

"No." Richard turned around and was intrigued at the venomous glare he was being subjected to from Hank. "That would be _me."_

Richard's smile change to something genuine, and impressed. "Your emotions do you credit, Lieutenant. Katie was not misplaced in her admiration of you." Katie swiftly turned to hide her blush, but Connor still saw even if Hank missed it. "I will activate the reverse command momentarily. Connor, prepare yourself."

Hank's phone beeped from his pocket and he pulled it out to study it, only to find the device suddenly dead. Connor's presence had evidently overheated it. And then he thought of something. "Hey, wait a damn minute. That's all well and good, but where the hell is Connor's body? We've been looking for it all fucking day!"

The RK900 smirked. "You have never been far from it, Lieutenant. I advise you return to your vehicle, Connor will reappear shortly."

That had Hank glaring. "Enough with the damn riddles already!"

Katie then stared between them in a slowly growing smile. "You didn't…" Richard turned to smirk at her, at which Katie couldn't help but giggle. Hank's glare switched to her, at which Katie bit her lip to stop from bursting out laughing. "Did you check the trunk, Lieutenant?"

Hank froze. "You've got to be fucking with me!"

He abruptly left the apartment and tore back down to the car park. His eyes landed on the trunk of his car and his heart jumped at seeing it moving, being pressed out from the inside. "Connor!" Hank fished his keys out and wrestled it open.

Connor stared up at him, completely unharmed, if slightly dazed.

Letting out a large sigh, Hank helped him out and pulled him into a fierce hug. "Goddammit, Connor, it good to have you back as _you_."

The android laughed lightly and returned the hug warmly. "That is an understatement. I am certainly relieved."

"How the fuck did Richard even manage to get you in there? It's a manual lock."

"The RK900 series was designed to a master of subterfuge. That includes lockpicking devices, both manual and electronic."

Hank pulled back and ruffled Connor's hair lightly. "I'm going to go with Katie's summary and say he's an asshole."

Connor chuckled. "He is a somewhat acquired taste, that is true. Still, he was right in needing to test the software. It is a relief to know it works."

And then Connor smirked. "Besides, this whole escapade has given me a _very_ promising idea for a new prank."

That had the human bursting out laughing. "Only you, Connor. Okay, you can tell me about that on the way back home. You sure you want to involve him in your revenge prank against Katie?"

"I…may withhold on that for a while. Or I may just recruit Simon for help instead." Connor smiled as five messages appeared on his HUD: the Jericho quartet asking what happened after Connor had contacted them to say he was now back to normal, while Katie apologised for her brother's idea of a 'prank'. "Markus and the others are asking for the details. Do you want to tell them, or shall I?"

Now given enough time to cool down, Hank's phone turned back on and he smiled at finding three messages himself. One from Markus and two from North. "Feel free to tell them yourself, I'll admit I'm curious to know what it was like being stuck in my phone."

Connor gave him a sly look. "Your internet search history is certainly interesting."

Hank flushed. "The _fuck_ were you looking at _that_ for?!"

"Curiosity's sake, Hank. The frequency of your porn searches involving-"

"Connor. Shut the fuck up."

The little shit had the audacity to wink at Hank, and the human just shook his head before bringing Connor in for another tight hug.

Then he suddenly thought about his analogy from earlier in the day, a smile breaking out on his face as he realised just how true it was.

 _This damned kid is my treasure all right. I'd go to the ends of the world for him._


	20. Duck, Duck, Goose

Surprise! It's a sneaky early update!

I really want to get two more chapters up before I go on my wedding hiatus, so here you all go! Here's number one, and number two shouldn't be too far behind.

And for anyone else reading my other D:BH fic, the update for that should be in the next couple of days. I've been fiddling around with that a fair bit to get it just right.

A few of you have noticed that I have another fic up on AO3 that I don't have on FF. Honestly, I uploaded it only on AO3 because I really wasn't sure what reception it would get on FF. If people are interested, I will happily transpose it here, but of course you are all free to check it out over there! My pseud is Skye_Willows.

Special thanks for reviews: **AnUnorthodoxDecision, Celestic1234, lordvaatithewindmage, FandomsMJ, xNarielx, Darnea, Momo22go, inuchara2511, MugetsuPipefox, overcastsea, Surfwriter, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, DemonSkitty, DyeTheSheep, Kata** and one **Guest.**

Btw, remember what I said about androids having no filter? Yeah, you might want to bear that in mind in the second half of this chapter.

* * *

The day before the Jericho crew returned found Connor receiving a message which completely confused him. Their trip to Canada had been highly successful, and they were finishing their work by meeting several high-profile government figures. Media coverage of the trip had proven to be a massive factor in winning over public interest, most Canadians seeing post-deviancy androids in a non-uprising setting for the first time. Markus planned to return a few times over the rest of the year to check on progress towards an androids rights movement there, and he'd invited Connor to accompany him any time the detective wished.

Connor would admit he was intrigued, but nervous. He'd spent his time in the spotlight on the night of their freedom, he wasn't so keen to repeat it. His quiet (or as quiet as was possible for one who'd become an overnight sensation) life in Detroit was more than enough for him. He had his family, job and friends. That was more than enough.

Not to mention a prank war that was keeping him endlessly amused.

His drive to the address given, just on the outskirts of Detroit, was quiet and uneventful, but Connor was still wary as he exited the car. This had all the hallmarks of a trap, and he kept his eyes peeled as he surveyed the house. It was an old farmstead, recently painted from his analysis of the walls, and creeping flowers were sprawled over the windowsills and parts of the sidings. Outwardly, however, Connor didn't see anything to cause alarm.

He realised his error as soon he turned the corner and something slammed into his back, hard, from above, causing him to faceplant the ground below with a large 'oomph'.

Connor sighed at the giggling coming from his back and craned his neck around to see the bright face behind him. "There are less dramatic ways to say hello to someone, Alice," he stated, exasperated, while standing back up.

Alice yelped at the change of balance and slid off Connor's back as he stood, smiling innocently as he levelled her with an unimpressed stare at the state of his clothes. They were now caked in dust. "But they aren't as much fun!" she chirped in reply, as if it was obvious.

The detective just shook his head. He was probably the last person to argue that point given his favourite hobby.

Kara appeared from one of the main doors, chuckling as she saw the state of Connor along with the expressions on his and Alice's faces. "Have a fight with the driveway, Connor?" she asked in amusement.

"No, your daughter is just surprisingly stealthy," he responded lightly, Alice sniggering as she ran back to Kara's side. "I must admit, I was surprised to receive your message, Kara. When did you arrive in Detroit?"

She smiled as she heard further footsteps from within the house, recognising the heavy steps while answering Connor. "We actually came back a few days ago to come stay with Rose. She is the one who helped us reach Canada, we all owe her so much. Her brother helped us settle, and it is lovely to get to spend a few quiet days with her and her son, Adam."

Connor was intrigued to the TR400 which appeared behind Kara, but soon twigged as to his identity. "Oh, of course, you two haven't met yet!" Kara realised in surprise. "Connor, this is Luther. He's the one who helped us escape Zlatko, and who has done so much for us," she finished with a definite fondness in her eyes. "Luther, you know of Connor. Despite his former programming and reputation, he's harmless," Kara teased with a wink at Connor.

A raised eyebrow expressed Connor's opinion of that statement. "Harmless, huh?" he repeated slowly.

"According to North, anyway," she finished before amending her statement. "Excluding pranks. I've heard some of your more infamous ones now: including you sticking Markus in cement. Where did that idea even _come_ from?" Alice giggled next to Kara as Luther broke out into a small smile.

Connor shrugged slightly. "I've given up on wondering where most of my ideas come from, Kara. I have come to the conclusion that Hank's influence has caused my deviancy to elect for a slightly more…mischievous nature. Not that I am complaining. So, your message mentioned needing my help in something?"

Luther chuckled while Kara smirked. Connor was surprised when Alice blushed next to Kara's leg, who was now swiftly pushing her daughter back towards Connor. "It's not _me_ who wants your help, Connor."

He looked down at Alice, who was suddenly very shy. "Alice?" he asked softly, in slight disbelief.

Alice hesitated for a few more seconds before she met Connor's eyes. "Can you help me with a prank, Connor? I want to do one."

Connor's eyes widened, and Luther strode forward to hand Alice a small book. "It seems you left an impression on her," the larger android commented with a loving smile while staring down at the girl. "She's been keeping this for when you both met again."

The YK500 gave Luther an embarrassed hug while Kara was beaming from the porch. Connor smiled at the scene as Alice pulled back again and flipped open the book for Connor to see. "I've been writing down any ideas I had for pranks, but I don't know if they're any good," she said shyly.

Taking it with great interest, Connor crouched down to let Alice see which pages he was flicking through. He couldn't believe how many potential pranks Alice had constructed. "Have you tried any of these out, Alice?" he queried.

"Not yet, I'm not confident enough to do them on my own. Show me?" she asked with big eyes.

Kara and Luther knew that look well, and it seemed not even Connor could resist Alice's puppy dog eyes.

Connor chuckled before turning his attention back to the book, and it didn't take long for one prank to firmly grasp his attention. "Alice, where did you get this idea?"

"Ummm, I'm pretty sure I got the basics of that one from the internet. You think it will work?"

His smile turned into a smirk, and a gleam lit over his eyes. "This is _perfect_. Do you have any requests on who use this on?"

It was Kara who answered, and it was just what Connor had been hoping to hear. "Why do you think we messaged you the day before Markus came home?" she said with a wicked smile.

* * *

The nature of their prank meant that some of the other Jericho androids had to be notified of what was about to happen – just to help walk their victims right into the trap. Connor phoned Hank to see if the older man could make a few calls as he, Kara, Alice and Luther all headed to the Jericho apartments in preparation. When he had explained the potential prank happening, Hank made him promise to livestream the end result in return for finding their supplies. It was a deal Connor was more than willing to make.

Word soon spread about the plan, and the quartet were surprised at how many people wanted to get involved. Now they just had to finish setting the stage.

Their supplies arrived halfway through the night, and thanks to androids not needing to sleep every night, they continued working right through to the arrival of Markus, North, Simon and Josh the next afternoon.

With so many androids milling around in front of the apartments in natural activity, none of the four were any the wiser when Rupert met them with a smile. "Welcome back!" he greeted happily. "It's good to have the four of you home. Did the trip go well?"

Markus was positively beaming, and the trio behind him were smiling at seeing him so happy. "It was a great success. The Canadians have agreed to look into legislation similar to that which is being recognised by our own government, and are thinking of going beyond the current framework. As of today, they are going to make it impossible for androids to be persecuted just because of who they are. We can all exist there without hidings our real identities anymore."

Rupert's eyes widened. "Wow, that's incredible, Markus. How did you manage it?"

North sniggered as she wandered around him, heading back towards the apartments. "Trust me, Rupert, you _really_ don't want to know. So, what's been happening here? It's still standing at least."

Josh glowered at her. "A touch rude, North. Of course the buildings are still in one piece."

She shrugged, and Rupert made minimal effort to steer her in another direction when she was going exactly where they wanted. The other three were following on behind Rupert, slightly slower. "Hey, we all know what Connor can get up to. Wouldn't surprise me if he's booby trapped all our rooms," she shot back.

Josh and Markus both shook their heads as Simon smirked slightly. "He's in for a surprise if he went into ours," he said just loud enough to be heard. Josh was reluctant to ask anymore, and his suspicion was proven right when Markus coughed awkwardly and looked away as North roared in laughter.

"God, Simon, we've really been together too long if you're picking up _my_ sense of humour," North commented fondly. "Besides, I imagine he's seen some pretty kinky-ass shit at some of his crime scenes."

The pair noticed Markus was fighting _really_ hard not to react any more than he already was, which just made them snicker even more as Josh groaned loudly. "Can we _not?_ It's bad enough that I've had to listen to you three mess around for the past month, let alone knowing what you get up to back here."

North raised an eyebrow at him. "Not as if we didn't offer for you to join us."

Josh shuddered. "No thanks. If you are looking for a fourth, go hunt somewhere else. You all know that I am completely uninterested."

Markus laid a hand on his shoulder gently. "And we all respect that, despite what _some_ people might say," he finished while looking at North pointedly. She just shrugged and smirked as Simon flashed a smile at her, waiting until he strode next to her to wrap her arm around his, knowing it would cause a flash of jealousy from Markus. Simon winked as he switched his grip and the two wandered along with their arms wrapped around each other's waists. Markus sighed while pinching his nose. "Those two can drive me nuts sometimes…"

Rupert was watching the interaction in a heady mix of bemusement and embarrassment, never having seen this side to the quartets' interactions before. They had always made a point of keeping their private business, well, _private_.

 _ **You're part of their trusted circle, now. It can get a lot worse than this.**_

He nearly groaned out loud at Connor's summary inside his head, having forgotten that he'd left the connection to the RK model open so as to get updates on their status.

 _Please don't tell me they are always this…unsubtle?_

 _ **North is normally much worse. Simon's input has me a little surprised, however. He isn't usually so forthcoming.**_

 _Great…_ _ **Did**_ _you set anything up in their rooms?_

 _ **No. I know I will not be able to**_ _un-_ _ **see anything I find in there, and I am not**_ _that_ _ **curious. We are set, lead them this way when you are ready.**_

Rupert gave an acknowledging ping just as the group were crossing through to another building, heading towards their own rooms. "Hey, you know, there is one thing I forgot to tell you about," he started, garnering the quartet's attention.

"You and John finally got that foursome you wanted with the Tracis?" North guessed, causing Rupert to go bright in the face with a blush.

"Wha- _ **No**_! How did you even-?!" he squeaked, and he could practically _feel_ the looks from the others.

"Wow, good call, Simon. Thought you were barking up the wrong tree entirely with that one," she smirked as Simon winked. Markus just shook his head in amusement as Josh looked like he wanted to ignore them all and leave.

 _ **Wait, she's**_ _right_ _ **?**_

Rupert pointedly ignored Connor's input as he steered the conversation back down the intended route. "What I _was_ going to say," he hissed out through his horrific embarrassment, "is that some of the others have started a garden in the courtyard of the smallest building. Do you all want to see it?"

All four of the androids were genuinely intrigued at the thought and followed Rupert as he led the way, while the WB200 was fighting to not react outwardly to Connor's prodding.

 _ **Seriously?**_

 _Come on, the Tracis are hot! Are you saying you wouldn't go for it?_

He could hear Connor's long sigh. _**Give me a nudge when you are a few seconds away.**_

* * *

As promised, Rupert waited until they were just approaching the site when he sent Connor the prompt along the android network. He, along with Alice, Kara and Luther were crouched on one of the thick overhangs leading into the courtyard, buckets ready at their feet. Connor was sitting with one, as was Luther, while Kara and Alice were ready to tip over the third together. Two more buckets were set up behind them for easy access. Alice was practically bouncing with excitement, which led to the other three giving her amused glances every so often. "I've never seen you so giddy, Alice," Kara said fondly.

"I just can't wait to see how this goes!" she giggled back, eyes wide in joy.

Kara aimed a playful glare at Connor as the detective met her eyes. "I blame you for this entirely."

Connor smirked. "I make no apologies, Kara," he responded lightly, earning a quiet laugh. Luther too looked entertained by Alice's reactions, but Connor's LED flickered yellow as he got their signal. He smiled wickedly. "Showtime. Ready?"

All four androids were ready with the buckets partially tipped when they first saw Markus emerge through the door, and the android leader stopped at seeing the piece of paper on the floor. Just as he bent to pick it up, North, Simon and Josh came to a stop next to him. Rupert made sure to keep himself _well_ away from the mess about to follow.

"What is it, Markus?" Josh asked, seeing the note Markus held. It was folded over and he opened it, only to freeze at the script on the inside.

In Connor's handwriting.

 _Welcome Home_

North screeched while the other three jumped at being dunked in a heavy, wet substance, just after Markus realised they were in the exact _wrong_ spot to be; barely a second after that, a shower of feathers followed to coat them all.

Loud laughter caught their attention, and their eyes drifted upwards to find the perpetrators above, jaws dropping at discovering it wasn't just Connor as the guilty party. " _Kara?!_ " Markus yelped, wiping some of the black out his eyes. "Why did you help him with _this_?!"

Connor tutted. "Now that is just plain rude, Markus," he chastised, "and downright unfair to Alice. This was her plan after all."

Josh turned to look at the girl in horror. " _Alice?!"_

Alice giggled as Kara smiled proudly. "You know, I can't quite tell if I want to encourage this behaviour or not. Right now…I'm leaning on yes given the end result," she teased, Luther chuckling right next to her.

As for Connor...

Well, along with livestreaming the footage to Hank: who was almost choking on laughter at the sight before him, he was sending stills from him optical images to several other androids – as well as releasing the images along the Jericho-wide network for all the androids to see, as thanks for so many others playing their part in keeping suspicion low.

The four below him groaned and swore loudly at seeing the images of themselves covered in tar and coated in a mixture of duck and goose feathers.

Markus just levelled Connor with a knowing glare. "You do realise we're going to get you back for this, right?"

The detective smiled a little too sweetly. "You're going to take it out on me, even though I was only a participant this time and not the mastermind?" He sighed dramatically before smirking. "Not as if I expected anything less," he challenged, finishing with a wink.

His attention then switched to the girl on his right, smiling down at her warmly. "Nicely done," he praised, happy to have helped Alice see her idea come to life.

Alice beamed up at him at the statement, oblivious to the unimpressed swears and mutters down below. "That was so much fun, thank you for the help, Connor!" she cheered.

Kara and Luther watched with soft smiles as Connor held a hand out down low for Alice. "Anytime, Alice. Let me know the next time you want a helping hand."

Their smiles grew as Alice enthusiastically slapped down on it, the grin threatening to split her face.

Maybe moving back to Detroit wasn't such a bad idea after all…


	21. Red Blood, Blue Blood

So here's part 2 of my wedding update!

I know, two chapters so close together is unheard of. I've been writing like crazy over the past few days, my mind is almost spinning. I'm making the most of what little free time I have before my wedding on the 3rd of November. So, this will be the last update for about 3 weeks. Don't worry, I'll still be thinking on various ideas in the meantime, and please feel free to keep up your suggestions!

In saying that, you might all want to check out my profile at the end of this chapter (only at the end!). There's a little surprise waiting there for anyone who is interested.

Special thanks for reviews: **Mayday Maria, lordvaatithewindmage, xNarielx, FandomsMJ, Darnea, Demon Skitty, AnUnorthodoxDecision, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, Little-Miss-Anime-Luva, Celestic1234** and two **Guests.**

Credit for this prank idea goes to **Aureux** on AO3. I thought it was brilliant, and this seemed like the most fitting place to use it.

And I'm going to apologise now. You're all going to hate me for where I leave this chapter off, especially considering my mini-hiatus (and probably for what is coming). All I'm going to say is, this has been the plan all along.

* * *

"So, you two have finally decided to let Reed in on the secret, huh?"

Connor smiled at Hank as the human finished the soda he had bought with his lunch. Despite almost constantly pestering Hank about his unhealthy eating habits, Connor did let off some days. He was a lot better than he used to be. "Well, it has been several months now, Hank. Katie has decided that she's had enough of hiding her identity, and I can't say that I blame her. Masquerading as a human would be difficult at times," Connor answered him.

Hank raised an eyebrow. "I can't tell if that's a veiled swipe at humans or not."

The android laughed lightly. "It was not intended as such, but I can see how it may come across as that. Hiding her android identity means Katie has to consciously lie to everyone around her, and she feels guilty about it now that she is established in the department."

"Yeah, I can see why she feels bad about it. Can't say that the reactions all around are going to be great, but I think most people will be accepting of it. The biggest headache is going to be her damn partner."

Connor's mouth quirked up. "Actually, she's not too worried about it."

That had Hank looking at Connor suspiciously. "How come?"

"Gavin's views on androids have mellowed considerably in the months since she joined: I would know better than anyone. He is much more accepting now. The thing Katie is mostly concerned about, is whether having kept it secret for so long is going to damage her friendship with Gavin."

"I still can't believe she actually _likes_ that asshole, let alone that she's friends with him. Well, if she's willing to do that given his views, maybe he has changed." Hank smiled as he took another bite of his burger. "So, what's the plan?"

"Katie and I going to spar in the training hall, and we are both going to be giving it our all. She's going to invite Gavin to watch."

Hank whistled lowly. "Yep, that'll do the trick. Gavin will twig pretty quick that she's an android seeing that. Have you ever gone all out on her?"

Connor chuckled. "No, Katie is still learning. Rather than download all of my advanced fighting protocols, she is learning from both myself and Richard through human methods: observation, experience and practice. She finds it much more rewarding. Her improvement is rapid nonetheless."

Yeah, Hank could believe that. More and more androids were choosing to learn in what would be deemed the 'human way'. The experience was often enjoyable to them. "Mind if I watch? I'd like to see you kicking into high gear against someone who is actually a match for you."

"Are you sure, Hank?" Connor asked cautiously. "If you are there, Gavin will no doubt ask if you knew about Katie's real identity."

Hank shrugged. "Let's be honest, Connor. As soon as he realises you know, he's gonna assume I do too. Besides, this was my idea in the first place, might as well face the music right alongside you. We might want to let Fowler know that you're going to spill the beans though, just in case Reed's reaction is shit."

Connor nodded in agreement. "Very well, Hank. And I have just sent a message to the Captain about our intention. I doubt it will take very long to receive an answer.

" _All units, we have an active shooting on Broadway Avenue. Officers on scene and requesting backup."_

The duo's expressions become more serious as Hank's radio crackled with the message. "Guess that's our break over. You taking the wheel?" Hank asked while tossing the remains of his lunch in the trash. Connor simply nodded as they strode back to the car, prepping themselves for the imminent situation. The android swiftly pulled away as Hank checked his gun before getting back on the radio. "Dispatch, any details on the shooting?" he barked, knowing that he was distinctive enough that he wouldn't have to identify who was en route.

" _Suspected gang attack. Officers 3310 and 6731 are under fire and have requested immediate support."_

Connor's LED flashed red as Hank's breath caught. "Hank-"

"Shit! Floor it, Connor!" Connor stepped on the gas pedal harder, turning his pre-construction software up to maximum to swerve through the traffic while tapping into all active road reports to find the best route.

Gavin and Katie.

The android's LED continued to flash red and his expression was fraught as they sped through the streets. "Hank, I can't reach Katie. She's not responding."

"They'll be all right, Connor. We've just got to reach them."

" _10-00 on Broadway Avenue, all units respond. Ambulance en route._

Both of them seized at the message and Connor blocked everything else out, focusing all his vast processing power on the road. They just _had_ to reach that scene as soon as possible.

* * *

This wasn't how everyone was meant to find out. Then again, life seldom went to plan.

By the time the pair managed to reach the scene due to various road works and another accident en route, it was already over. Several others were already scoping the area, collecting evidence and photographs while they spied Chris interviewing several bystanders. There was no sign an ambulance being there any longer. They jumped out and approached, seeing Ben staring at a shot-out cruiser in the middle of the street.

Blue blood was spattered over the side of it. Connor's LED stayed red.

Ben stared at them sadly. "Wondered what held you two up. We've got nine perps in custody: we'll make sure they all go away for a long time for this."

Connor seemed frozen on the spot, so Hank was the one who addressed Ben. "The fuck happened, Ben?"

"Don't know, yet. Gavin radioed in asking for backup after they came under attack, but we arrived too late. Looks like they were just in the wrong place at the wrong time, cause the shits over there were still firing at each other when other officers arrived."

Hank swallowed hard. "What's their status?"

"Gavin's critical, he took two shots to the chest. Katie is…" Ben hesitated briefly, and Hank knew what was coming when the other detective looked at him in confusion. "Did you know, Hank?"

Ben's gaze fell to the blue blood on the cruiser, and Hank sighed. "Yeah, we know. Connor and I have known since day one."

The other man hummed. "As it happens, it's probably just as well. A human wouldn't survive the wounds she's got. Even an android might not."

Hank winced and turned his attention to Connor. His partner was now studying all the blood spatter and the shell casings on the floor. "Shit." He gave Ben a curt nod and strode over to Connor, laying a comforting hand on his shoulder. "What you got, Connor?" There was no point in asking his emotional state – it was evident from his red LED, and the android probably wouldn't answer him anyway. He was adept at avoiding answering questions when he had to.

"I can't tell an awful lot from just this, Hank," he answered blandly, his stare continuing on to further along the street. Connor walked over intently, Hank right behind as they came to a much larger collection of blood. This time, there was both blue and red. "From what I can see, Katie was wounded next to the cruiser, and Gavin helped usher her to cover behind this dumpster. The initial damage was enough to cause her systems to go into brief shock. Once in this position, they were caught out by the appearance of more assailants. They had nowhere to go."

Hank's eyes fell to the ground as he sighed. "There's no way he missed it. Even after learning the truth, Gavin put his own body on the line to try and save his partner." He looked back up at Connor, the android's own gaze still on the puddle and smears over the ground. "Looks like she was right after all."

Connor's LED flashed as he got a message, and Hank suspected it wasn't good news when his shoulders slumped and his eyes pointedly looked the other way. "Captain Fowler contacted Markus," he said in a voice choked with emotion. "He's asked for assistance in Katie's repairs…and whether it is possible to re-activate her."

The human swore quietly. "Fuck…I'm sorry, Connor. She'll come back, the kid is tough." He could already see Connor was reluctant to commit to that hope, and he couldn't blame him. There were never any guarantees with re-activating an android which was deviant. Especially a prototype.

Hank brought him in for a hug, and Connor gripped back tightly. He'd never seen his son so shaken since the uprising, but he wondered if this was how Connor had been after his car accident.

Remembering that gave Hank an idea. Maybe he could help Connor after all.

* * *

It had taken a few hours to submit all the evidence they had gathered and write up reports, but Fowler soon chased the pair out once they were done. He ordered Hank and Connor to take at least the next two days off as the precinct dealt with the aftermath; and while Fowler addressed the revelation of Katie's identity. The shock was going to make reactions unpredictable, and Fowler was adamant about making sure the pair of them weren't going to be in the firing line for some unsavoury comments when it came to light that they'd known all along.

That, and Fowler had taken one look at Connor and known the android was struggling under the weight of his concern. Until they knew what would happen to Katie one way or another, Hank was to keep an eye on him.

This was one of the few times Hank had wished Connor wasn't an android. He didn't get exhausted to the point of sleep, and he wasn't due to go into stasis for another couple of days. His incredible processing capacity meant that distracting Connor to the point of taking his mind off things was near impossible.

Well…impossible if Connor had access to all of it.

Which was where the little gadget Simon had given Hank at his request was going to come into its own. This was an idea he'd had weeks ago: locking down some of Connor's processors to see how the android would react with what he would deem 'human' reactions. He'd planned to use it to catch Connor out with a whole series of other pranks, it would be a lot easier to inflict some of the more traditional ones if Connor couldn't use his scanners.

Now, however…Hank knew this was probably the best thing possible for Connor. He needed to somehow be distracted. What better way than to slow his brain down so that he could only focus on one thing at a time?

He grabbed the small drive from his bedside table and stared at it for a minute before going back through to the living room, seeing Connor doing his best to focus on the screen in front of him. The android had been learning all about flower arranging over the last two days, looking to advance his interest now that they were into the summer. Rather than interfacing with the touchpad, he was studiously reading it to learn more 'organically'. It wasn't really helping take his mind off things, however.

Sumo was curled behind Connor's legs, sensing his low mood and kept whining at him. Hank's eyes fell to kitchen and he soon realised a way to maybe blindside Connor to the inhibitor he was going to install. He strode over and turned on the coffee machine, while grabbing an egg from the cupboard.

…Okay, this really was a dumb idea. Oh well.

He walked back over and hovered behind Connor for a moment, working out how to do this, before tapping the exact right point of his neck to open the port at the back. Connor's eyes widened at the change but before he turned to ask Hank what he was doing, he felt the egg slam on top of his head.

Connor's look was decidedly unimpressed as he turned to look at Hank, and he scowled at him while closing his neck port again. "Was that strictly necessary, Hank?" he asked tiredly.

Hank shrugged at him. "You looked like you could use the distraction. Did it help?" he said in reply.

The android sighed and stood. If Hank hadn't known better, he would have said Connor was exhausted: no doubt he would be mentally if that was such a thing. "Messing with my neck port to divert my attention was an unusual tactic, I will grant you that. I will be back momentarily." Connor wandered to the bathroom to clean his head off, and Hank smiled slightly.

He really hadn't noticed the quick installation: that showed just how much of Connor's mind was on what had happened earlier that day.

Quickly using the touchpad, Hank opened up an app that Simon had built and switched it on before putting back to the previous screen. Now he just had to wait and see how long it took Connor to notice the change.

Connor reappeared a couple of minutes later, rubbing his now damp hair in a towel. "What you been reading, kiddo?" Hank asked conversationally.

"Just some more on flowers," Connor answered while sitting down again and picking up the touchpad. "Some of it has been highly interesting, and I have many ideas. Would you object to me ordering some for the back yard? I think they would look beautiful in the sunshine."

Hank smiled at him affectionately. "Knock yourself out, Connor, it could use some livening up. Just make sure to get ones that you don't mind Sumo potentially eating: I'd maybe stay away from orange, he has a stupid fascination with that colour. Fuck knows how often I've caught the big idiot munching on leaves because he likes the look of them."

That had Connor chuckling lowly, and he soon turned his focus back to the touchpad. Hank turned on the TV and found an old programme from when he was younger, and it didn't take too long for Connor's attention to drift toward it. The human suppressed a smile as he saw Connor subconsciously settle in more to watch it, and his LED shifted back to yellow for the first time since the shooting.

It was working – and the longer Connor was unaware, the better.

They watched four episodes together before Connor stiffened, his LED flashing frantically, but it stayed yellow. "Markus just contacted me. They have successfully re-activated Katie," he said slowly, suddenly turning his attention to the time.

Hank laughed at the utter confusion on his face as Connor realised just how much had passed. "Time flies, doesn't it?" he said knowingly, to which Connor stared at him.

"What did you do, Hank?" Connor asked cautiously.

"Just a little processor inhibitor, that's all. I intended to use this when I had a whole slew of pranks lined up for you, but it looked like you needed it more tonight. When your attention is fixed on only one thing, your concept of time goes right out the window. At least you weren't so fixated for the past while." Connor's gaze was affectionate and infinitely grateful. "How's she doing?"

"No apparent memory loss thus far, though she is traumatised," Connor answered while standing.

Hank gave him a soft smile, knowing exactly where he was headed. "Good, I'm glad. You going to tell her that Gavin made it out of surgery all right?"

Connor nodded as he slipped on his shoes and jacket. "Yes. I'm sure she will be relieved."

The human gave him a warm hug before stepping back to grab a beer from the kitchen – the mood had vastly improved now that they knew both Gavin and Katie would recover. "All right, get out of here. Go tell your girlfriend I said hi, and that I'm looking forward to seeing her soon."

That had Connor's hand freezing on the door handle. "Wait…Hank?"

Hank turned back to see utter confusion on Connor's face. "Something I said?"

Connor hesitated before answering him. "Hank, Katie and I, we aren't…we're not together."

The lieutenant's eyes widened comically. "You're shitting me, Connor."

The android shook his head. "We're just friends, Hank. Very close friends, but friends none the less. Nothing _would_ ever happen between us."

Hank paused before coughing. "Shit, sorry, Connor. I was just convinced you two were…"

A laugh escaped the android. "No, Hank, and we never would be. Neither of us want that, for a multitude of reasons."

He suddenly had a lot more questions, but Hank knew this wasn't the time for it. "Okay, forget I said anything. Go make sure Katie is okay and we'll catch up later, kiddo."

Connor nodded and opened the door, flashing Hank a warm smile before he left. "Thanks, Hank."

"What for, Connor?"

"…For knowing just what I needed."

Hank smiled back at him. "That's what parents are there for."

Connor's LED finally cycled back to blue.


	22. Bambi

Hey everyone, I'm back!

Wow, it feels weird coming back after not writing for a little while, but I'm now officially a married woman! Though my new husband keep saying he's my second spouse after my writing (he isn't exactly wrong…).

We hit a massive milestone that I didn't realise just as the last chapter went up, and it has blown me away. Thank you all _**so**_ much for over 300 reviews now!

I'm glad you all liked Katie's reveal, it was a chapter I was really nervous about. This chapter is a little different as it is very much a part 2 to the previous chapter, but there was always going to be an aftermath to the shooting. So, here you all go!

Special thanks for reviews: **ByteOfBacon, AnUnorthodoxDecision, DyeTheSheep, Mayday Maria, FandomsMJ, MugetsuPipefox, xNarielx, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, lordvaatithewindmage, Surfwriter, Darnea, sarahlucylu** and one **Guest.**

PS. For anyone who hasn't checked out my profile, _**Under My Skin**_ , the sister fic to this adventure, which is Gavin and Katie's story, will be going live with chapter 23 of _**Mischief And Me**_!

* * *

" _ **Wow, you really stuck your foot in it there, didn't you?"**_

"Shut the fuck up, North. I thought it was bloody obvious, all right? I'm still half-wondering if Connor was winding me up."

" _ **Nope. Trust me, Hank, it's true. There isn't anything going on between Connor and Katie."**_

"Damn, fooled me good. I think the whole damn precinct thinks they're an item."

" _ **Ha, that's a laugh considering Connor isn't interested in anyone like that."**_

Hank glowered at his phone briefly where it was lying on the arm of the sofa, North's voice blaring through the speaker, before he continued to try and solve the sudoku that Connor had made him the day before. He was wondering why he'd opened his big mouth about them being too easy after being given this _monster_ by Connor. Only six numbers in and he was stuck. Then again, it had distracted Connor for a little while in making a few of these damn-near impossible puzzles for Hank to solve.

It had been three days since the shooting which Gavin had barely survived and Katie, in fact, hadn't. Gavin had been left in a medically induced coma for two days after his life-saving surgery, and even though his medication had eased so that he could rouse naturally, he had yet to do so. Connor had spent most of his time at the Jericho apartments, helping Katie through the trauma of her re-activation, until Richard managed to make it back from his FBI assignment. The RK900 had since taken Katie home, and she was now under his watchful eye. During the small time that Connor was out walking Sumo, Hank had decided to ask North about her condition, knowing the subject was still very sensitive with his son.

"So he isn't now, doesn't mean he won't be later."

" _ **Are all humans as dense as you are? Connor isn't**_ _interested_ _ **in anyone. Period."**_

That had Hank pausing and staring at the phone. "Wait, are you saying that Connor is asexual?"

" _ **Hah! Nah, Connor's just as horny a fuck as the rest of us. He's not into romantic shit or attachment."**_

Hank thought on this for a few seconds. _So Connor is aromantic, huh? That explains-Wait a damn minute!_ "Hold the fuck up, how do _you_ know about this, North?"

He could practically hear the slight embarrassment in her voice. _**"Well…I might have made the same mistake you did. Connor just gave me a look and when I asked if he was bullshitting me…well, yeah, he went on to tell us just how wrong we all were."**_

"And you were calling me out on it! Bitch."

" _ **Boo fuckin' hoo, Hank. Grow a pair."**_

"Ah, whatever. So, what's the story with Katie? How's she holding up?"

" _ **When she came in for a check-up with Simon earlier, she was pretty quiet. First time I've seen her brother looking anything other than asshole-ish, he's obviously worried. Is Connor going around to see her?"**_

"Yeah, he'll be swinging around after he gets back from walking Sumo."

" _ **Well, if anyone's going to cheer her up, it's him. He's the only one who's managed to get her to open up since her re-activation."**_

"That's not a surprise." He heard the door opening behind him, Sumo's huffing leading Connor's steps back inside. "All right, thanks for all that, and maybe tone down the bitchiness?"

Connor raised an eyebrow as he heard the voice on the other end of the phone. _**"That just makes life boring, Hank. Enjoy getting your ass handed to you by a number puzzle!"**_

She hung up before Hank got the chance to reply. "Fucking cow…" He then spun around to smile at Connor. "Hey, kiddo. Good walk?"

The android looked at him suspiciously. "It was, actually. Dare I inquire as to what you were asking of North?"

"Honest answer is that I was checking up on Katie. Didn't want to upset you," he answered softly.

Connor's face changed to something mildly sad, and Hank hated it. "She is improving, but I honestly don't think she'll be herself until Gavin wakes up."

"Don't know why she cares about that asshole."

"They are partners, Hank. Partners care about each other if they are a good team; and despite all the potential issues, they are," he chided. Connor wasn't comfortable mentioning the small snippets of the truth that Katie had told him, that was for the female android to share if she chose to. Besides, many of the details would come out when the pair eventually got around to submitting a witness report.

Hank sighed in relent. "All right, guess that was pretty mean. From what you worked out at the crime scene, it seemed like Gavin tried to get Katie out of harm's way even after learning about her, so he definitely doesn't hate her out of principle. Can't help but wonder what's going to happen after he wakes up though." Connor stared at the floor in thought, and Hank realised he wasn't going to be any more forthcoming. "You heading over there to see her now? North said she was pretty withdrawn earlier. Even her dickhead brother wasn't hiding his worry, apparently."

Connor nodded. "Yes, I am. In fact, Richard and I are all set with something which will hopefully make her smile."

The human chuckled knowingly. "This one is going to be amusing, I'm looking forward to hearing about it later." A ghost of a smile crept on to Connor's face, to which Hank waved him off with a warm one of his own. Go on, go make the girl's day."

* * *

Connor turned up at Katie's apartment half an hour later, and he sent a quick message to Richard as he approached the door. The other RK model regarded Connor with a short nod as he opened it, stepping aside to let the new arrival in. Katie was sat on the window ledge directly opposite the front door, staring out over the scenery as Dust sat whimpering at her feet. Even from that distance, Connor could see the sadness and doubt rolling off her in waves.

 _ **I must report in to my task force for a short time.**_ Connor was unsurprised when Richard's voice came through in his head. _**I will not be long.**_

 _Understood. Is everything set?_

 _ **It is. I managed to install the software while checking over Katie's biocomponents earlier today. The program for managing it is on standby.**_

The two RK models interfaced for a moment, at which Connor received the small command package for their plot from the RK900.

 _Thank you for arranging all this and developing the program._

 _ **Of course. Though I may not be as obvious with my emotions as you are, I do care deeply for my sister. I hope your plan comes together well.**_

 _Do you think this will help cheer her up?_

 _ **I wouldn't have given it to you now if I did not believe in it.**_ Connor smiled openly at Richard's abrupt, but encouraging reply. _**I will return shortly.**_

Connor watched Richard leave and shut the door gently behind him, turning as he departed to stare at the sombre android on the other side of the room. He approached slowly, knowing that Katie would be aware it was him. She may not be as advanced as either of them, but she was perceptive. It was part of what made her so suited to detective work. "Hi, Connor," she greeted quietly, not turning from whatever she was staring at outside.

With a soft smile, Connor ran a hand down her ice-blue hair, the colour mirroring the intense sadness she felt inside. Katie turned at the gentle touch, her hair shifting to a mellow blonde as she stared up at him with an empty gaze. He sat down next to her, watching as she gazed away again. Dust whined from the floor and Connor smiled down at her briefly. "Even Dust knows you are struggling today," he started, waiting to see if Katie would open up.

Tears rapidly appeared in her eyes but Katie brushed them away harshly. "I'm no different from yesterday, Connor. I am…coping," she muttered back.

Connor sighed lightly and ran a hand down her forearm, catching Katie's attention again. "I could tell that is a lie even without all of my detection software," he countered, earning a scowl back. "You can tell me, Katie. That's what I'm here for."

More moisture welled up, and she swallowed hard to try and keep the tears back, but Connor brushed them without any hesitation. Katie gave him a shy smile before inhaling shakily. "Why isn't he awake?"

He wasn't surprised: Gavin was all Katie had been thinking about since the shooting. "It will take time for his body to recover from the shock, Katie. Humans aren't as resilient as we are, sadly."

"He shouldn't have been shot in the first place, Connor," she bit back. "Gavin was covering me when he was hit. Why didn't he just _leave_ me?"

"Because he cares about you, as much as that might surprise both of you." Connor rubbed her arm soothingly as he continued. "And that was after you took two shots to your thirium pump and temperature regulator shielding Gavin. He would never leave you behind after that, not that I think he would, regardless of that."

"Except he should have, Connor! He's human, he's fragile!"

"Katie…had you taken any more damage, you almost certainly couldn't have been re-activated. Gavin saved your life as much as you saved his," Connor told her firmly, seeing the fear in her eyes. "He will live, he is no longer in any danger. The gunshot wounds will take some time to heal, possibly months, but he will recover."

As much as Katie knew Connor was right, that wasn't the only thing on her mind. "I wish I had just told him the truth, Connor. Maybe I wouldn't feel as terrible as I do now."

"Which truth? That you are an android, or that you have feelings for him?"

She glared hotly for a second before sighing angrily. "Both, I guess. I was referencing my identity, however."

"It was simply poor timing, Katie. We had the plan and were just looking for a time to enact it, life just happened to get in the way." Smiling slightly, Connor stood and pulled on her hands, dragging Katie to her feet as he booted up the command sequence which Richard had passed on to him. Keeping it on standby, Connor smirked at her. "Speaking of which, shouldn't we get some more practice in? You do want to at least make me try when you show off for Gavin, don't you? I still fully intend on fighting you."

That brought a small sparkle of defiance to her eyes and she snorted as Connor shifted the coffee table out of range. "You shit, I can give you a decent fight now," she hissed back, a tiny growl in her voice. "You're just giving me a vent opportunity."

Connor's smile turned mischievous. "And are you going to decline?"

Of course she didn't: Connor knew just how much Katie loved a challenge, even if she was in way over her head. It was the perfect lead into the prank.

The pair took up fighting stances on opposite sides of the small space, and Connor booted up the program, having the sequence ready at the first thought. Katie sighed as she readied herself, eyes steeling at the task ahead of her before leading with a side kick. Connor flickered the program just as Katie's foot left the ground.

Her internal gyroscope went crazy for split second, causing Katie to completely overbalance and almost fall over. Connor caught her leg and threw her back, causing Katie to land with a thump on her backside. She hissed briefly and leapt back to her feet, racing towards Connor in preparation for a punch, but Connor sent her gyroscope into overload again. Her legs turned to jelly and Katie wobbled madly, just managing to stop herself from tipping over into Connor outstretched arms.

"Shit!" she exclaimed as she tried to stand up straight, only to find she couldn't even balance stationary. The penny finally dropped as she waved her arms frantically to try and get even a fraction of her stability back, but Connor was there with a hand to keep her up. "You fucker! You've messed with my gyroscope!"

Connor smirked lightly. "It was just too irresistible, Katie. I cannot help but compare you now to how Hank stumbles around when he is drunk. Given it is impossible for us to recreate the effect through alcohol, the parallel is highly amusing to see."

He then let go and watched as Katie tumbled to the ground. She shot him a glare as Connor laughed, stepping back to watch her struggle up. "Come on, Connor! This is hardly fair, I can't even stand!"

His cheeky grin grew even more. "Pranks never are fair, Katie. Tell you what…" He wandered through to the open plan kitchen, eyes sparkling at the aggravation hers held in reply. The female android's hair morphed to a deep red at the determination and irritation coursing through her. "I'll switch it off when you can reach me – on your feet – and I promise not to move from this spot."

Katie huffed at him and hauled herself along the floor on her arms to the sofa, using her strength to force herself back to a standing position. She couldn't balance without the support, and she scanned the room to look for other items to keep herself up. Connor was happy with that first little haul as Katie had fallen completely in the open, and he knew she wouldn't be able to even get to a crouch without the aid.

His smile grew with every little step she made, seeing the life and fire burst back into her body and eyes for the first time since she had come back from shutdown. For a while he was worried some of it had died with her deactivation, but it was just as fierce as ever: it was just buried beneath the myriad of emotions which were swallowing her.

Katie tried to wander two steps, but crashed back to the floor on her side angrily. Dust, sensing her mistress' determination, came scampering over and nudged her with her head. The female android smiled proudly at her and used Dust's momentum to launch herself to another table, leaning on it fully as she stood before attempting another couple of steps. She wobbled dangerously and just managed to throw herself towards a nearby bar stool.

Connor's smile grew from smug to joyful as he saw her stumbling closer, and Katie's own expression mirrored it. She was grinning lightly as she pushed herself along the kitchen island, legs crumbling under her a couple of times as her gyroscope did a few more frantic loops and shot a brief glare at Connor for messing with it again. Using most of the strength in her arms, she shuffled along the edge of the island to hold herself upright until she was opposite Connor.

With a triumphant shout, she let herself fall forward, straight into his waiting arms and the pair laughed loudly as they collapsed to their knees.

Breathing heavily through her laughter, she swatted Connor harshly as he snickered. "Bastard! How long have you had that in the works?" she snarked.

"Since you and Gavin decided to statically charge me in the precinct."

Katie gaped at him. "Connor, that was almost two months ago!"

He smiled at her broadly. "Maybe, but after your brother decided to enact his own prank against me, I was reluctant to ask for his help until last week. The program was his design, even if the idea was mine." His expression softened slightly at seeing her hair shimmer to a light brown, knowing by now this was much closer to her default colour – closer to happiness.

"Should have known Rich had a hand in this…"

Connor chuckled at the message which appeared in his HUD, having sent the video of the incident to Hank. "Hank says that he is going to nickname you 'Bambi' from now on, after seeing you so unsteady on your feet."

"Oh haha, very funny, both of you. Could be worse I suppose…" Katie's smile became a lot more gentle and she leant up to press a brief kiss to Connor's cheek while wrapping him in a bone-crushing hug. "Thanks, Connor. I didn't realise just how much I needed to laugh until now."

His arms snaked around her and gripped back just as tight, his own worry subsiding slightly at seeing the drastic change in her demeanour. "Of course, Katie. What else are friends for?"

Connor's LED quickly flashed yellow at the message he received from the precinct, and the pair of them stiffened instantly. Katie frantically pulled back from the embrace and stared at Connor with wide eyes. "Gavin. He's awake," she whispered.

Not hesitating, Connor recalibrated her gyroscope and offered her a hand up as he stood with a knowing expression. "Come on. You need to see him."

* * *

As the pair arrived at the hospital, Connor could tell Katie was a bag of nerves. She was fidgeting constantly, and he ended up giving her his coin to try and distract her momentarily. It helped a little, but Katie still barely knew what to do with herself when they were directed to Gavin's room. Visiting hours were over, but Fowler had managed to secure permission for Katie to see him under Connor's watch.

Coming to a stop outside and watching through the glass of the window to his room, Katie stared at Gavin for a full minute before turning to Connor, lost. "Connor, what do I say to him? Where do I even start?" she muttered.

Connor gave her a comforting smile while running a hand over her shoulder. "Tell him the truth: that hiding your identity was never your idea, it was done as a social experiment. Stress that you wanted to tell him long before and that we even had a plan to do so, I can even send you a still of the booking form for that hall if you wish me to, to show Gavin. Just be honest with him, Katie. Right now, that is the best you can do. What happens beyond that is up to Gavin."

Sighing shakily, Katie gave him the flash of a nervous smile before entering the room. Connor stayed on the outside and watched through the window. He was at a right angle to Gavin's bed, and could only see the detective's right-hand side. From the distance he was at, he scanned Gavin's vitals and medical chart lying on the table to see his prognosis.

A partially severed artery, punctured lung and three broken ribs, not to mention all the muscular and tissue damage, as well as the blood loss. Estimated time of recovery: five to six weeks. Advances in medicine meant that Gavin would be back in the field before two months had elapsed, and would probably be back on desk duty within three weeks.

He'd been incredibly lucky, another few minutes and he'd have been beyond saving. Katie had used the last of her strength to try and stem the bleeding before she had shut down. It was no exaggeration in saying that the pair had saved each others' lives.

Katie came to a stop on the right-hand side of the bed and perched upon the edge of it, just next to Gavin's hip. Connor could see the human's eyes open and watched the slow conversation which developed on the other side. He didn't read their lips, it wasn't any of his business what was said, but he hoped for Katie's sake that Gavin wouldn't reject her outright because of her real identity.

His curiosity spiked when Katie's eyes widened dramatically, but the temporary concern melted away after a minute when Katie looked down and tentatively took a hold of Gavin's hand. He gripped back, even running his thumb over the back of hers.

The android watched as Katie spluttered briefly and moved gracefully to embrace Gavin in a shuddering hug, finally letting loose on the emotions she'd been holding back. Gavin stretched as best he could to hold her in reply, and the pair seemed to settle in a comfortable position, evidently still whispering to each other.

Connor smiled and walked away, his last tension over the incident melting away as he left them in peace.

Everything was going to be different now, but it was okay. _They_ were okay – and he embraced the relief willingly.


	23. Tapestry Of Us

Hi again!

I'm glad you all seemed to like the resolution to Katie and Gavin's mini-arc in this story! And, as promised, _**Under My Skin**_ is now live! For everyone curious as to their story, head over there and check out the first chapter.

Special thanks for reviews: **Mayday Maria, MugetsuPipefox, xNarielx, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, AnUnorthodoxDecision, inuchara2511, Surfwriter, lordvaatithewindmage** and one **Guest**.

This one is mega fluffy by the way! I'm just too much of a sap for Hank and Connor feels.

PS. I have one of these suspension tents, and they are freaking _**awesome**_. This is a prank I wish I could do, but I doubt I could pull off.

* * *

Determined to give Connor a well-deserved break after all of their recent stress, Hank booked a couple of extra days off for the pair of them when they got two days off together again. With four days to now relax and unwind before going back to the mayhem of the precinct, Hank had a plan.

And for once…it didn't involve a prank.

No, it was something that he had been planning for what he had deemed Connor's birthday (or more accurately, his activation date in August), but with all the other crap which had been going on, he decided to bring it forward. He'd seen Connor smiling less and less lately, and even pranks seemed to only bring him back momentarily.

Between Katie and Gavin's near miss, the fallout of Katie's reveal as an android and the revelation that the two of them were in on the secret all along, and the stalled progress of their investigation into the string of murdered androids, he knew Connor was struggling under the strain. He needed something to draw him out of his own head for a while, show him that life was bigger than their jobs.

Which was why he packed the car with the leftovers of his camping gear and loaded it up while Connor was still in his stasis cycle.

As it reached 7am, when Connor was due to emerge from his diagnostics, Hank was just finished strapping the tent to the roof of his car. They weren't going far or for long, just the two nights if all went to plan, but it would be nice to get out of the city for a while. He'd not left for a trip since…since Cole. He was long overdue for another journey: and now he got to do it with his second son.

"Hank?"

The human smiled at the confused tone in Connor's voice and saw him staring at the car in obvious puzzlement. Hank beamed over at the android. "Morning sleepyhead. Any issues?"

"No, all my software checked out. What is all this?" Connor asked slowly, scanning all of the equipment.

"You're a detective, Connor. Don't play dumb," Hank chided in obvious amusement.

Connor scowled at him. "All right: clearly you are planning on going camping. Might I ask as to why I did not know of this?"

"That's cause it's a surprise, Connor. _We're_ going camping."

The android's eyes widened comically. "We?"

Hank scowled at him. "Well…yeah. Come on, Connor, did you really think I would go and not take you with me?"

Realising that Hank had misunderstood his surprise, Connor shook his head. "No, that's not what I meant at all. I just-Hank, there is so much I could still be doing here. There is a large backlog of cases, we have to brief-"

"Ah-ah!" Hank yelled, silencing Connor. "All of which will still be here when we come back in a few days. We have a whole squad of people now, all of whom are highly competent. They'll hold down the fort while we take a breather. _You_ especially need it after everything which has been going on recently. You've barely stopped in a week as you've been reconstructing what happened to Gavin and Katie in painstaking detail, and that's on _top_ of the rest of our work." Hank approached Connor was a knowing smile and pulled him into a hug.

"Come on, Connor. You need the break, and I want to spend some quite time with my family."

That had the android welling up slightly and he hugged Hank back tightly. Leaving for the quiet with just Hank and Sumo sounded very appealing, despite his urge to keep working. Hank had always called him a workaholic.

Pulling back with a watery smile, Connor nodded at the human. "When do we leave?"

Hank grinned widely – that had been a lot easier than he thought it might be. "Grab a few spare changes of clothes, I've got plans for us, and then we'll head away. Make sure it's shit that is easy to move in and you don't care about getting potentially ruined."

Connor gave him a disbelieving stare but obliged with a final nod, going back inside.

With his son suitably distracted, Hank pulled out his phone and fired off a quick message.

 _We'll be gone within the hour, I've left a spare set of keys behind a loose panel on the right-hand side of the door. Don't go raking through my shit, don't prank the house, and don't fuck this up!_

He got the reply almost instantaneously.

 _ **You just know I'm going to go raking through your whole bedroom now, old man. Thanks in advance for the blackmail material. And of course we won't fuck this up for him, he means a lot to us too.**_

Hank smiled at North's snarky reply. So far, so good.

* * *

It was a three hour drive to Hank's chosen camping spot, right in the middle of a large forest not too far from the coast. He could see Connor's LED spinning between blue and yellow through much of the journey as he took in their surroundings and he was thrilled with the android's company. The two of them swapped various stories and addressed topics they didn't normally broach at home, making an effort to single out the trip as something special. Which it was: Connor's first excursion for fun, and Hank's first since regaining himself.

Not to mention their first as father and son, they'd never really done anything to mark the change in their relationship before. They were making up for it now.

As Hank pulled up in a car park deep in the forest and went in to register them for the next two nights, Connor stared at the large trees surrounding them while he fetched Sumo out from the back. The dog had quite happily curled up in the back of Hank's car once his bed had been moved there, but he was still rather stiff by now. Once Hank returned, he led the way up a secluded path as the two men carried the camping gear between them. Connor would have easily taken more, but knew better than to offer. Hank could be stubborn when he wanted to.

Connor was stunned when Hank came to a stop and he saw the view.

They were in a small outcropping of trees atop an overlook, and it stared straight down to the beach only a mile or two away. The drop from the cliff was impressive, but everything felt so wild, untamed and… _free_.

The android rather resolutely decided he liked it.

"So?" Hank prodded while offloading one of the bags swung on to his back. Connor's beaming face was answer enough, but he wanted to hear it too.

"It's beautiful here, Hank. How do you even know about this place?" Connor asked in wonder.

"I haven't been here for fifteen-odd years, not since me and my ex-wife took a trip out here. Broke down after a camping trip and just happened to wind up around here. Decided to take a look and found this spot. We came here a few times before we had Cole…but never found the time." Hank's expression became wistful and Connor's LED cycled to yellow. The human was having none of that, however, and smiled unsteadily at Connor. "I may have missed the chance to come here with one of my sons, like hell was I going to do it with the other."

Connor's smile was a little shy as he began unpacking all of their supplies, while Sumo went snuffling around the area. "I'm honoured that you've brought me here, Hank. It's…amazing."

Hank nodded slowly as a smile crept on to his face. "Yeah, it really is." Coughing in an effort to get the conversation moving again, he beckoned Connor to help him set up the fancy tent his ex-wife had bought years' ago when they were both avid campers. It was a suspension tent, kept up either by three tight cables along the bottom and fixed between three trees, or it could be hung by the top and stabilised by the same three ropes.

Due to the nature of their location and the high winds, Hank knew from experience it was better to keep the tent fixed above and stabilized at the bottom, and showed Connor how to do so. Having an android who could easily scale trees and fix the roped in place securely without any fears over heights made life a hell of a lot easier, and it only took them an hour to get the tent set up. It would comfortably fit the two of them and even Sumo if the weather was bad, but Hank had brought a second, smaller, tent for the hound which wouldn't be elevated. His joints didn't deal so well with the two foot elevation of their tent to keep all the bugs and animals out.

Now ready, Hank decided to show Connor around. He introduced him to fishing, took him down to the beach to see the sand for the first time, watched as Connor quickly picked up surfing…and all while he watched the smile on the android's face get wider and wider. It was exactly what he'd hoped for.

It was only at the end of the day that Connor pointed out to him that he'd been grinning like an idiot for most of the day too.

Their second day saw Connor want to go back down to the beach, and Hank was more than happy to oblige him. As Connor learned more about water sports and even went exploring underwater (damn bastard could do that since he didn't need to breathe), Hank stayed sprawled on the sand with Sumo right next to him, snoring away. It was peaceful, relaxing…just what the doctor ordered.

When Connor came tumbling back over, Hank pulled him down and asked a passer-by to take a photo of the two of them with Sumo, seeing as they'd never done one. Not in such a relaxed setting anyway. Connor positively beamed at the end result.

He completely missed Hank firing the picture off to North when he got enough signal to do so.

Connor's broad smile was exactly what Hank had been hoping for, he'd never seen the android so relaxed before.

It was perfect.

* * *

Or at least it was…except Hank had made one grave miscalculation. He'd thought that Connor would hold off on one of his signature pranks while they were away.

Stupid. A completely stupid and naïve sentiment. Connor was the absolute embodiment of mischief when he wanted to be, so what happened when the android was happy and playful? He got bad ideas. _Really_ bad ideas.

Such as pulling their tent up higher as Hank slept during the second night. He'd almost shit himself the morning after to find he was now thirteen feet up, not two.

" _ **Connor!"**_

The android was sat on the edge of the cliff, staring out at water when he heard the angry shout. His devious smirk was back, and it only grew at the glare Hank aimed at him. "Good morning, Hank," he replied cheerfully. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah…slept brilliantly, Connor," Hank growled back sarcastically. "Everything was dandy until I tried to get out for a piss, only to find I almost fell to my death!"

Connor rolled his eyes. "I was keeping an eye on you, Hank. I would have alerted you had there been any real danger of you leaving the tent and injuring yourself. At least at this distance, your snoring had less chance of bothering Sumo," he shot back with a smile. When the St Bernard barked in almost agreement, Connor snickered.

"Fucking traitors, the pair of you!" Hank groused. "Come on, Connor, let me down already!"

When the android smiled devilishly at him, Hank's stomach dropped. "I see no reason why you cannot just aim from there, Hank."

The human howled in equal parts horror and embarrassment. " _For fuck's sake,_ Connor! I'm not used to _you_ coming out with shit like that! You've been spending too much time with the Jericho crew!"

Connor did not let him down. Not for another hour, by which point Hank was contemplating aiming at the android out of pure spite. He was _not_ happy.

By the point they were back on the road towards Detroit, however, he could almost see the funny side of it. And he'd never complain at seeing the sparkle in Connor's eyes after a successful prank: even when he was the one on the wrong end of it.

They arrived back at the house right as planned, and Hank smiled internally at seeing the lights were on inside. Looks like the Jericho quartet had been successful.

Connor, however, knew something was wrong. "Hank, we didn't leave any of the lights on," he stated seriously, his LED flashing yellow.

Hank smiled at Connor and patted his knee. "Nah, it's all good, Connor. I know about it. Come on, let's go in. I'm fucking knackered after all that driving." The android raised an eyebrow at Hank, but followed him regardless as he let Sumo out of the car. Hank opened the front door with a knowing smile, but jumped almost a foot high at the airhorn which sounded right as it reached full swing.

Glaring behind the door, he found it set up so that the handle of the door would trigger the airhorn when opened fully. "Fucking bitch…" he muttered under his breath, steadying his racing heart. As he looked back at Connor, he could see the mirth in the android's eyes and pointed right in his face. "Not. A. Word."

Connor chuckled and turned back into the living room, but instantly saw the change. His LED flashed frantically between yellow and red, his emotions spiking as he realised just what had happened in their absence. "Hank, what did you…?"

The human was now smiling broadly and swung an arm around Connor's shoulder, pulling him closer to see the end product himself. "Okay, so this is where I have to fess up. The trip? It was actually a distraction for this. Don't get me wrong, I wanted to show you the overlook, but, well-I'd intended to have this done for your birthday, but given all the shit we've gone through recently, I wanted to get it done. Just something to remind you that there's always family beyond all the shit we see."

Tears were in Connor's eyes as he took in the myriad of photos which were now sprawled across the wall to the right of the fireplace, above the edge of Hank's desk. It was the story of their prank war, images taken from some of the androids' memories, some from CCTV and others being pictures taken by humans.

From that very first day when Hank had pelted Connor with the water balloons, all those months ago, to a still from Connor's optical memory (that he had no idea how the others had gotten a hold of), showing Katie overbalancing when Connor had messed with her gyroscope.

Some of their favourite and most memorable moments.

A still of Connor and Hank tag teaming Gavin to change his ringtone from the DPD CCTV, just as Hank had deliberately spilt coffee all over him.

The Jericho crew all laughing in Katie's car – taken from her optical feed based off the angle she was looking into the rear-view mirror – after magnetizing Connor to the living room chair. It was right next to the looks of horror on Connor and Hank's faces taken from the mobile camera they'd set up.

Connor dyed pink, from Markus' optical feed, with Kara and Alice laughing in the background.

A screenshot of the group chat when they'd been sending Gavin in circles, when Katie had asked Connor to change his password.

The photo Hank had taken with everyone smiling and laughing while Markus was pinned in the cement, still technicoloured and glaring at all of them.

An image of Hank and Connor shocking each other as they tried to expose Gavin and Katie, taken from her memory.

Twin shots of the Jericho crew tarred and feathered next to a still of Connor, Alice, Kara and Luther were laughing above. Both were taken from Kara and North's optical feeds.

There were so many photographs, and they'd all been linked by a set of vines which Markus had painted on the wall below. Dozens more branched off all around the collection, just waiting to be added to.

The tears ran freely down Connor's cheeks as he spluttered a laugh, and Hank smiled broadly at him before noticing a note left on his computer desk. He picked it up and grinned at the contents, making sure Connor read them as well.

 _ **We hope you are as pleased with the end result as we are, Hank. It was an absolute joy to work on.**_

 _ **Connor, never forget the joy you have around you, even when you feel overwhelmed. This is the tapestry of your family.**_

 _ **And I already have more plans for you: both to inflict upon and team up with.**_

 _ **See you both soon.**_

 _ **Markus**_

Overwhelmed was a good word for how Connor was feeling right now. He'd never felt so loved and happy in his short life.

He swiftly buried his face in Hank's shoulder and the older man chuckled at seeing him so emotional. The soft, choked whisper almost went right past him, but it made his heart clench once his mind finally caught on to the words.

"Thanks, Dad."

Hank's own eyes welled up slightly, and as he looked over, he noticed one last photo which had been set up separately from the others. Atop the fireplace, right next to the image of Cole that he knew so well now, was the picture taken of the two of them and Sumo the day before. Sat on the sand, arms around each other's shoulder while petting Sumo between them with beaming smiles.

The printer beneath Hank's desk burst to life and the pair separated upon hearing it. Curious, they walked over and Connor pulled the new photograph out, laughing heartily as he realised what it was. Hank scowled, though his eyes were dancing in amusement.

It was him having almost jumped out of his skin as the airhorn went off behind the door.

"Those bastards, where did they get that from?" he wondered.

"They must have left a camera behind somewhere," Connor deduced, just as another photograph emerged. The two shared a smile as they saw the two of them locked in their hug from only a minute ago. Another sheet of paper followed, and while Connor almost doubled over laughing, Hank went scarlet at the note.

 _ **Keys are where you left them. Told you we wouldn't fuck this up.**_

 _ **Nice cartoon underwear, Hank. Hope you realise I'm never going be able to take you seriously again!**_

"I'm going to kill that fucking bitch!"


	24. Drive Me Mad

Hello there!

I'm glad to see I melted a few hearts with the fluff in the last chapter, it was brilliant getting to write it. And I got an amazing surprise when I was tagged in this beautiful fanart based off it! Please go check it out and support the artist, it is stunning (just remove the spaces and stops before the colon to see the post on Tumblr)!

h. t. t. p. s: / / talle – 2002 . tumblr post / 180343259975 / tapestry – of – us – so – I – read – the – recent – chapter – of

Special thanks for reviews: **xNarielx, AnUnorthodoxDecision, .spaniul, MugetsuPipefox, lordvaatithewindmage, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan** and one **Guest.**

Remember that theme I said was going to be rumbling around in the background? It's causing some unintended mayhem: I couldn't resist making Gavin shit himself.

And now…time for a good old fashioned prank. Enjoy everyone!

* * *

Things had been relatively quiet in the precinct for the three weeks that Hank and Connor had temporarily jumped back over to Homicide, while Gavin and Katie were absent, but it just had to be their luck that things picked up right as the pair returned. More androids had been turning up dead in the same circumstances as before, and none of the DPD could make the connection between the victims – nor could they even begin to deduce where to start looking for their culprits. With the body count now racking up, it was bringing in some very unwanted attention.

And for once, the media was low on that list.

"Hank!" Both Hank and Connor turned their eyes up from their desks at Fowler's shout as he wandered over from his office towards them. The human groaned at the look he was being given and made a show of slamming his headphones on, blocking out all sound, before turning back to his terminal. Connor stared at him with barely contained laughter, and did snort when Fowler glared down at his partner.

The Captain turned his steady gaze to Connor instead. "Fancy cranking the volume up so I can hear, Connor?" he said meaningfully.

Feeling a little bad for Hank's imminent pain, but amused at the request, Connor dutifully obliged.

Making sure the volume was _just_ below was would be damaging for Hank's hearing, Connor ramped it up. The human jolted sharply at the surprising change and wrenched them from his head, staring at them menacingly before sending an icy glare at his son. Connor shrugged and stared pointedly at the captain, who was waiting impatiently for the lieutenant to acknowledge him.

Hank sighed dramatically and spun around in his chair, leaning back while crossing his arms. "I'm on time, I ain't drunk or hungover and I'm actually working, so you if you bust my balls, I'm walking," he warned, not missing how Connor's LED flickered briefly in amusement. He could hear Ben snickering from behind and Chris' face was a picture with repressed laughter from behind Fowler.

Less enamoured with Hank's attitude than his colleagues, Fowler stared down at him as he barked his orders. "Get your ass down to the archives and do some digging, Hank. I need these cold case files on my desk by the end of the day." He placed the list of cases on Hank's desk: there were at least a dozen.

"Oh for fuck's sake, you've gotta be kidding me!" Hank wailed. "I ain't done shit, Jeffrey! Why am I being banished to the cave that is the archives for all this crap? All the case files are digitised nowadays anyway!"

"These cases were all corrupted, we need the paper backups before they can be reopened," Fowler snapped back. Just as Hank was about to say something else, he held up a finger and spoke louder. "Just do your fucking job, Hank, and get down there. I need these _today_."

With that, Fowler stormed back towards his office.

Hank growled from his seat as he sat back with his head in his hand. Ben chortled from behind him. "Enjoy the company of the spiders, Hank. I'll be sure to arrange your funeral in case you get buried in the mountains of shit down there," he teased, earning a middle finger from the lieutenant. Chris and Connor both laughed.

Standing while still grumbling, Hank was halfway across the floor and Connor was just getting ready to go with him when another shout from Fowler stopped the android in his tracks. "Not you, Connor, I need you here."

Both father and son shared a look, surprised at the order. After a couple of seconds, Connor sat back down again. He sent a quick message to Hank's phone, which the human received as he made his lonely walk to the bowels of the precinct, typing back his replies on his descent.

 _That was more than a little odd._

 _ **No shit. Ugh, why me? Can't he give the desk-bound asshole this work?**_

 _Gavin and Katie are still catching up with all the active Homicide cases, they are quite busy already._

 _ **I swear Fowler is just pulling a fast one on me, and I'm innocent for once!**_

 _Hank, you are about as innocent as I am able to resist pranks._

… _ **Ouch, kid. Truth hurts.**_

It was about half an hour later that Fowler's reasoning become painfully obvious. Connor would have missed it had Ben's grumbling voice not caught his attention. "Damn, what are the Feds doing here? Ain't seen any suits round here since the uprising."

Connor turned to see the familiar figure of Special Agent Perkins striding through the bullpen, the man's little smirk as irritating as ever. He was either oblivious to all the venomous stares of the officers around him or didn't give a damn, and Connor smiled slightly at seeing Tina fighting the urge to trip the man up. Safe to say, he was deeply unpopular after his last visit to Detroit once his actions at Markus' final protest became public knowledge.

Of course the FBI would be involved with so many android bodies piling up, with no obvious killer or motive. Connor was very glad Fowler had made sure Hank was 'indisposed' while the FBI agent was here – another confrontation between them would surely end badly. As it was, Hank had barely kept his job after breaking Perkins' nose before.

Another figure strode in shortly afterwards, and it had Connor's LED blinking rapidly as almost every officer did a double take.

 _Richard?_

The RK900 locked on to Connor at his message along the android network and gave him a curt nod. Ignoring the startled looks of everyone around him, Richard walked over and came to a stop next to Connor's desk. "Connor," he greeted audibly, highly amused at the shock of everyone around him. His existence was not well known, since he was a one-of-a-kind prototype just like Connor and Katie.

Still seeing an all-but-duplicate of Connor walk in was going to mess with a few heads.

"Is the FBI stepping in to take over our case?" Connor asked him pointedly.

Richard raised an eyebrow at his directness. "Perhaps. That remains to be seen," the RK900 replied shortly.

"On whether you think there is something we missed?"

"Correct." Connor's LED flickered red in irritation and Richard smirked at him. "Come now, Connor, I was built to surpass you. It is only natural that I may spot things which you may miss."

Connor was sorely tempted to hiss back at the other android when an unexpected intervention came. "Connor's more than capable, and don't forget all of us humans working alongside him. Or do you think the entire DPD inept?"

The RK800 flashed Chris a grateful smile as Richard chuckled.

"What the _fuck?!_ Since when was there two of them?!"

Everyone turned at the squawk from the new entrants to the bullpen. Gavin's eyes were threatening to bulge out of his eyes, skin white, while Katie just seemed surprised. "What the hell are _you_ doing here?" she asked while making sure Gavin eased down into his seat without any issue. Despite now being back at the precinct, he was still quite tender from all the damage of the shooting. Katie passed the coffee she had been carrying once Gavin was settled, and Connor didn't miss the quick brush of fingertips as the pair parted.

Rumours were already starting to spread. The pair had only been back three days, and no-one missed how they turned up together each morning.

"Ah, little sister," Richard said back with an arrogant smile. "I wondered if I would see you here."

Katie just glared at him as Gavin stared between the two RK models. "I know you said you had twelve siblings, Katie," Gavin interrupted, "but you could have mentioned one of them was a shittier version of Connor."

Connor was grateful for the unexpected slight as Katie shot Gavin a fond, but amused, look before turning to glare at her brother again, crossing her arms. "Not like you to dodge a question," she shot at the other android.

Richard sighed. "I can't even say hello to my sister? How rude, Katie."

She rolled her eyes at his antics. "Fine, nice to see you, asshat. Last time I'm asking nicely, why are you here?"

"The spate of recent android killings has been gaining more attention, and it has come to ours. We were dispatched to deduce if the DPD needs extra manpower."

Gavin scoffed at him. "Not from you FBI assholes, thanks." Richard turned his steely gaze towards the injured detective, who suddenly remembered just _who_ the android was.

He wisely decided to shut up after that.

Katie shook her head in exasperation and strode up to Richard, quickly flicking his ear – much to the shock of her colleagues. "Whatever. How long are you here for?"

Richard stared at her inquisitively. "Agent Perkins is likely to be at least an hour in his meeting with Captain Fowler, according to his instructions."

She beamed in reply. "Perfect! That means you and I can go for a little walk," she smiled at him a little too sweetly. Connor and Gavin both smirked at the exchange while Ben and Chris watched in complete confusion.

The other android narrowed his eyes at her. "Katie, I hardly think this is an appropriate-"

Without missing a beat, she latched her arm around his and started dragging her brother out of the precinct. Surprisingly, he didn't fight her. "Nonsense, this is a perfect time. I'm benched anyway, so I'm bored as hell. See you later, guys!" she waved over her shoulder, aiming a playful wink at them.

All four laughed quietly at the exchange as they left, while Connor connected with Katie.

 _Thank you, Katie. That almost became awkward very quickly._

 _ **Anytime, Connor. I know how to handle this asshole by now. Besides, I think he wants to blow off steam after Gavin's jibes. Never seen him this agitated.**_

 _Never thought I'd be grateful to Gavin, but it was appreciated._

 _ **You're as bad as each other, I swear. Please make sure Gavin doesn't burn the precinct down out of boredom, he's been a little stir crazy.**_

 _And you've been around him enough to know that because…?_

Connor could practically hear the embarrassed undertone at what she'd just given away.

 _ **Oh shut it, you.**_

The quick disconnect had him laughing quietly.

"Well, that was something," Ben chuckled.

"Was that android another of your model, Connor?" Chris asked inquisitively.

Connor's LED briefly flashed yellow at the question, and he gave Chris a smile in return. "No, Richard is an RK900. He was developed in the last weeks before the uprising, based off my data and the results generated. His modelling may be very similar to mine, but he is a different android entirely."

"So he was built to replace you, is what you are saying."

Gavin's statement may have been cutting, but there was no malice behind it. It was just a statement of fact. "Yes," Connor replied sharply. No-one quite knew what to say after that.

The silence wasn't allowed to become too suffocating, for an alert soon flashed up on all their terminals. "Fuck, another body," Ben lamented. "Come on, Chris, we'd better go scope it out since Hank is missing and the terrible twosome is benched. You coming, Connor?"

A sly smirk came to Connor's face. "No, I shall leave you both to it. I see an opportunity in this time, and I don't intend to waste it."

Chris snickered as he stood. "Damn, I feel sorry for the Lieutenant already. Please send us photos, seeing the aftermath is always priceless."

Connor smirked and chuckled in reply. "Of course."

The pair soon departed…leaving only Connor and Gavin in that half of the bullpen.

Talk about awkward.

They had only spoken once in any great detail since the shooting, and while things were undoubtedly better between them, there was still a definite unease there. Still, they had separately promised Katie to try and be less aggressive towards each other, though it was going to take time. Months' worth of bitterness and distaste wasn't going to evaporate.

 _But…_ maybe it could be given a kickstart.

Thinking over his plan, Connor came to a decision as he saw Gavin clicking on to his terminal, reading over some of the most recent reports again. The detective was fully caught up on all of the cases already, but he liked to re-read it all since he hadn't been directly involved in any of the casework up to that point. "Gavin, I was wondering if I could ask for your assistance." Connor offered lightly.

Gavin's face scrunched up in confusion, wondering if the android was having him on. Eyeing him sceptically, he answered back cautiously. "Do I have a fucking choice here, Connor?"

"Completely," came the honest answer. "If you wish me to leave you to your imminent boredom, I will easily do so. However, I think you may find this offer enticing."

The detective's eyebrows raised even higher. "'Enticing', you say…?"

"Correct."

"Connor, you are remembering that I still have two damn holes in my chest, right? I can do fuck all right now."

"Not even assist me in a prank?"

Now _that_ had Gavin's attention. "You're asking _me_ to help you out? Really?"

Connor shrugged. "And why not? It is not a necessity, but a lookout or an extra pair of hands would not go amiss."

After a few moments of contemplation, Gavin leant back and gave Connor his full attention. "All right, I'm listening."

The android smirked. "How would you feel in helping me…procure something?"

Gavin laughed loudly. "Shit, are you asking me to help you _steal,_ Connor?"

"In a word: yes."

* * *

It was six hours later that Hank finally emerged from the archives, narky as fuck after inhaling a shit ton of dust and giving himself almost a dozen cardboard and paper cuts. Throwing all the files into Fowler's office without a word and storming off, he quickly grabbed his car keys and marched out to the garage. He needed Chicken Feed, and he needed it right the fuck now. He was positively seething.

Not just at having been buried in the archives for _god knows_ how long. Hank was more pissed that he hadn't got the chance to square off with Perkins. Connor had told him of the arrival of the FBI agents after the pair had left, and Hank was raging at Fowler for making sure he missed it.

…Probably for the best though, given Perkins had wanted his head on a platter after breaking the little weasel's nose. That memory still made him smile.

The snapshot Connor sent from his optical feed of Gavin's horrified face at discovering Richard's existence though was totally worth it. _That_ was something else, and would earn a printout, even if it wasn't a prank. They had since dedicated the wall on the other side of the living room to other photos.

His briefly brightened mood was cut short when he turned up at his car parking space, only to find his prized car missing.

"Awww, fuck, you've got to be kidding me!" he swore loudly. "The fuck is this shit?!"

Looking at the name plate on the wall, Hank soon found a sticky note taped to it, along with some writing.

 _ **Look Right**_

"Wha…?" Doing as instructed, he spied another sticky note, yellow this time instead of bright pink, taped to a pillar a few metres away. Walking over, he wrenched it down and glared at the handwriting.

 _ **Look Left**_

"Connor, I'm going to kill you for this!"

Hank followed the mysterious path of notes, finding himself a sense of amusement for the other officers as they saw him trailing around the entirety of the underground garage. He sent whoever crossed his path an irritated glare before continuing on, eventually coming to a halt on one which said something other than left or right.

 _ **Go Down To The Evidence Garage**_

"Christ, I dare not think what that piece of shit has done with my car. I've got a fucking awful feeling about this."

When he emerged down on the floor below, Hank didn't have to look very far to see where his precious car was…and he was adamant he was going to kill Connor. Slowly.

Somehow, the little shit had not only broken into his car and hotwired it before driving it into the lockup, but he'd also covered it in _thousands_ of multi-coloured sticky notes. Hank could see everything from emojis, to Pokémon and even My Little fucking Pony designs made out of the damned notes.

…The little shit was _so_ dead.

Snickering from the left had Hank glaring over, only to do a double take at the _pair_ of perpetrators. "I must be going fucking nuts," he said to himself. "Yep, I've inhaled some sort of deadly disease from all that dust in the archives and I'm hallucinating. There is _no_ way that _you two_ did this!"

Connor simply smiled as Gavin smirked. "Like it, old man?" Gavin teased. "Your face was fucking worth the electric shocks I got from hotwiring your damn ride. The android sure as hell doesn't do anything by halves."

"In all fairness…" Connor added, "Gavin gave me many of the design ideas, as well as managing to move your car. It is only fair to share the credit."

Hank's eyes turned icy as he moved between the pair of them. "Reed, I'd suggest you shift if you don't want another bullet hole in your fucking kneecap," he hissed angrily.

Sensing that the other man really was in a foul mood, and knowing he couldn't move that well himself right now, Gavin chose to shuffle away with a triumphant middle finger to Hank. If the lieutenant had the power of fire in his stare, Gavin would be a pile of ash by now. As it was, Connor was only a shade further from that because the older man liked the android so damn much. Sighing tiredly, he rubbed his head while speaking to his son. "Why, Connor? Just, why?"

Connor cocked his head at him. "Detective Reed was available and I saw an opportunity to expand on my original idea. I am making an effort, Hank."

"No, not that. Why did you have to nab my _car,_ out of all things? And 'My Little Pony', really?"

The android smirked. "Gavin's idea. The emojis were what I intended, but he had some helpful suggestions."

"…I still can't believe you got Reed to steal my damn car and help you cover it in fucking sticky notes. How many are even _on_ there?"

"11,733."

Hank stared at Connor for a long moment. "That shit will have cost a bit."

"Not really, the extra strong tape holding it all in place was more expensive," Connor clarified with a smile.

"…You're lucky I like you, kid. Fine, looks like I'm catching a cab to Chicken Feed then. Can you at the very least wire me some cash as compensation for this shit show?"

Connor's LED flashed yellow. "Already done, Hank."

" _Thank you._ Now if you don't mind, I'm going to purge my anger in calories. I ain't looking forward to getting all that shit off later." The older man was walking away when he stopped suddenly, before turning back and chuckling. "That picture's going to look pretty damn good on the wall. Make it a bigger one, yeah?"

The android smiled broadly. "I will. And I imagine you are looking for revenge against Gavin. Would you like some assistance?"

"Hah! Nope, I'm gonna get _both_ of you back. Just you wait, Connor. Just you wait."


	25. Chameleon

Hey!

So, I just wanted to give a big shout out to all those who have been sending me prank ideas, they are so gratefully received as I want to keep this fic going for as long as possible. I've still got around another 10 chapters' worth worked out, but I'm hoping you can all give me more.

Special thanks for reviews: **AnUnorthodoxDecision, Mayday Maria, xNarielx, MugetsuPipefox** and **lordvaatithewindmage.**

Credit for this prank idea goes to **ValentineXCross** on AO3. Thanks hun, I just couldn't stop giggling at the image!

And this one is the longest to date, but I just had too much fun with it. As per usual, it got away from me a bit! Also, fluff alert!

* * *

Since Hank's original plan for Connor's birthday had gone up in smoke (well not so much, it had just been rearranged), that left him coming up with a plan B. Plan B soon evolved into plan C…and that descended into plan Desperate. He couldn't come up with anything memorable enough beyond his very first plan (which he'd thought of _months ago,_ since he'd officially adopted Connor), but even that was not going to come together until the week after.

Which left him seeking out some help.

He'd been reluctant to admit that he was stumped on something grand for Connor's birthday, but Hank swallowed his pride and went to Markus. The deviant leader had just smiled warmly and suggested throwing a party at his father's house, since Carl was eager to meet both Connor and Hank after so many stories about their prank war. Hank was immensely grateful, and left Markus in charge of rustling up a list of people to invite (with a few suggestions on extras).

That took care of half his problem…and his salvation for the other came from the Jericho crew being just as clueless as him.

Which was why he found the quartet in his house during the day he and Connor weren't working the same shift, batting ideas about. It was now only a week to go, and they were still no closer to a solution.

Josh was sat reading a book, absently throwing in the odd comment from the kitchen, with Sumo curled up at the quiet android's feet, while Markus and Simon were on the recliner, Simon resting in Markus' lap. North – the fucking wild child herself – had decided sitting nicely at the other end of Hank's sofa was boring, so was instead lounged across it, her ankles crossed and perched on Hank's shoulder as he sat back with his own feet on the coffee table.

He might have been grumbling a bit more about the pressure on his shoulder and neck had Markus not sent him a sneaky text, giving Hank a weapon to unleash when North wound him up enough.

"How about dropping him down a pit somewhere?" North offered. "Leave him enough clues to get back to the party before it ends?"

"I think Connor might leave _you_ in a pit down a river if you did that to him, North," Josh stated while still reading, missing the pissy glare North aimed his way. Hank snorted, then yelped as North dug her heels into his shoulder. He slapped her leg, at which she lightly walloped his arm back.

"How about simply sending him to the wrong location?" Simon suggested. "It would be intriguing to see how long it would take him if we left incorrect information."

Markus ignored the pair getting into a slapping contest on the sofa as he looked at Simon sympathetically. "Connor is linked in to far too many location services for that to be effective, Simon. Hank wouldn't disconnect himself in case something happened to Connor," he explained.

North screeched as Hank tickled her left side, jumping back with wide eyes, before aiming a glare at her lovers. "Which one of you two traitors told him about _that_?" she spat, her squealing then dissolving into laughter as the human attacked both her sides. Markus and Simon smiled while laughing, Josh looking up and shaking his head with a fond smile before going back to his book.

"Hah!" Hank cawed triumphantly while leaning back with a smirk. "Take that, bitch! Oomph!" he winced while groaning when North aimed a kick at his hip. Not enough to cause any notable damage, but it would definitely bruise. "Fucking hell, North, you're meant to be coming up with a prank on Connor, not beat me up!"

She winked in reply. "Trashing your ass is always fun, old man," she teased before getting back to the task at hand. "We could switch off his optical sensors?"

"I doubt Connor would appreciate anything vindictive," Josh chimed, deftly leaning left when North threw her shoe at him. Hank glared at her when the impact it had with the kitchen cabinet was strong enough to leave a dent, to which she offered an apologetic shrug.

"Well, we could always hijack them…" Markus wondered.

Hank stared at him. "Make him hallucinate another day, Markus. I'm trying to make this dramatic in the fun sense, not the creepy way. Fuck's sake, we've been at this for almost an hour now! How the hell does Connor come up with all these damn pranks?"

"To quote one of your favourite phrases, 'he's a little shit'?" North suggested. Hank didn't disagree and chuckled fondly.

"Okay, we all know he's an inventive and mischievous bastard. Come on, _someone_ has to have an idea, right?" Hank whined.

The quartet in the living room were silent for a few seconds before Josh sighed dramatically. "You could always ask the person with a whole book of practical jokes."

Four sets of bemused eyes turned to look at him as if he'd grown a second head. Josh scowled. "Come on, she's even invited to the party. Considering she's caught all of us before with Connor's help, do you not think she'd be a great candidate to help?"

The three androids suddenly twigged what Josh was hinting at while Hank looked at them in bemusement. "Eh? Who are you talking about?"

Markus smiled knowingly at him. "Who better to catch out a one-year-old than another child?"

* * *

As it happened, Hank had to spend most of the remaining week out of the loop, if for no other reason than to not alert Connor to the fact that something was up. The only thing he could conceivably do was make sure all the invites to their colleagues in the DPD were received. He roped in help from Chris and Ben, while Katie was put in charge of making sure Connor was adequately convinced that there was nothing going on.

Hank had to wonder what her grand plan was when his android son was conveniently missing for several hour-and-bit stretches in the days leading up to the party. Coupled with the fact that Gavin and Katie were also absent for that time…

When Tina had jokingly asked Hank where their invites were for the group orgies, he'd had to resist the urge to lock her in a cell.

Just… _Ugh_ , _**no!**_

The day of the party, Hank had managed to swing things with Fowler so that everyone who would be attending was on a half day, though Hank and Connor were going to be leaving an hour earlier than the rest to avoid suspicion. Connor received lots of cards and small gifts from his colleagues once they had learned of the significance of the date, and Hank could tell he was moved. Chris, Ben and Tina had all clubbed together to get Connor a voucher for a new tailored suit, while Katie had given him an I.O.U to a day out at a puppy café. Hank had never been one for those sorts of places, but he could tell Connor was excited for it.

As much as Connor might be sassy, suave, mischievous and a total badass, he was really just a big kid at heart; one who just so happened to have weaknesses for books, flowers, hopeless drunks…and especially animals.

At the station, Hank gave Connor a miniature Zen Garden for his desk, and he could tell the android loved it. After telling Hank about Amanda and the significance of the Zen Garden program, the older man had kept it in mind. The AI program was now gone, and the garden was a symbol of Connor's victory and freedom. Hank felt it appropriate for Connor to have that reminder in a physical form for the difficult days.

While Connor was distracted by the various well wishes of the precinct (and got into a relatively good natured argument with Gavin), Hank slyly slipped a data disc into the side of Connor's terminal. They'd devised this as the most subtle way of uploading the code to Connor willingly: it would transmit when Connor interfaced with the screen. He waited patiently for the data to upload, leaning back casually as he watched the progress slowly tick up to 100%. It reached completion after about a minute, and he handed the disc off to Ben. At least the older detective was less likely to be scanned by Connor.

The android was fully braced for a prank, Hank could tell from the shifty glances Connor had been sending his way all day. Katie and Gavin had been receiving similar treatment. He had to suppress as smile at the fact that _everyone_ who was going to the party was in on it.

He was very much looking forward to meeting the young android responsible for this prank personally. It was going to be spectacular.

Now they just had to get him there.

* * *

"Hank?"

"Mmhmm?" the lieutenant answered from his place lounging on the sofa, eyes closed in relaxation. They'd only been home for an hour at this point, but it was right on schedule. Now they just had to hope Connor was going to take the bait.

"Markus has asked for me to join him at Carl Manfred's estate."

Hank put on his best acting face and looked at Connor strangely. "What the fuck for?"

Connor was currently busy adding a couple more photos to their non-prank wall: one of the whole android crimes unit taken earlier that day, as well as one of Connor giving a raised eyebrow to the camera pointed at him while he was donning a party hat with a big '1' painted on it. "He says he wants me to see some of the paintings he and Carl have been working on for the Jericho apartments to improve their aesthetics. He states, and I quote, 'I do not trust the others' judgements in this regard'."

That had the older man laughing. "Probably wise. North will tell him it's the opposite of what it is, and I don't trust Simon not to follow her lead if he's in the mood to screw over Markus. At this point I'm guessing poor Josh just tries not to get involved. Didn't think art was something you had much experience with."

The android turned back and gave Hank a knowing smile. "Yes, but I think Markus as least trusts me to be honest."

Hank nodded with a bemused expression. "Can't fault that logic. Come on, I'll drive you over there, I love a good nose around all the houses of the posh pricks."

It took them the best part of forty five minutes to drive over, and Hank could feel all the vibrations of the phone in his pocket, texts coming through to confirm peoples' attendance. Shame he couldn't look at them right now, but from the tally he was keeping in his head of the vibrations, it added up to the right number. All he had to do was wait…

If Connor scanned Hank right now, there was no way the lieutenant was going to be able to weasel his way out of explaining his internal excitement away.

When they pulled up to the front of the house, there was no outward signs of what lay within. Markus was waiting outside with a beaming smile, to which both Connor and Hank were surprised to see Carl right next to him. Hank saw Connor's LED quickly flicker and he nudged the android playfully. "Come on, let's not keep them waiting. Not like you to be nervous," Hank teased.

Connor just gave him a look in response. Hank was just as bad at the thought of meeting Carl Manfred. Fuck knew what Markus had told the elderly man.

Carl was delighted to meet the pair, and they were pleased to discover that he was an eager fan of their prank war. They'd heard it from Markus before, but having the older human ask them questions about their favourite escapades was heart-warming. His laughter at discovering their favourite prank to date was the joint one on Markus was completely worth the unimpressed glare said recipient shot them.

Markus urged the pair inside, and Hank hung back long enough to whisper a quick question in Markus' ear. "Who's got the trigger?" he hissed, but Markus only winked at him.

Fucking deviants and their mischievous sides. If he hadn't known it was impossible to fall victim to the same prank, Hank would have seriously wondered if Markus was planning on catching _both_ of them.

Connor was only a step or two ahead of Hank, with Markus wheeling Carl right behind when they came to the living room doors. The younger android opened the way, only to be momentarily stunned at what they found inside.

" _Surprise!"_

LED flickering yellow madly, Connor's eyes drifted across the whole room as he took in all those in attendance. North, Simon and Josh were all grinning from next to the piano, while Rupert, John and the two Tracis were on the opposite side. Kara, Luther and Alice were sat on one of the sofas, Alice waving brightly at Connor, and he found the group of Chris, along with his wife and son, Ben, Tina, Katie and Gavin over beside the window with a few other members of the DPD. In all, there were 26 people there.

Hank came to place a hand on Connor's shoulder at seeing his son was stunned silent, gripping it reassuringly. "Your head's not going to explode on us, is it?" he teased.

Connor turned to look between him and the room a few times. "Hank, how…Why?"

Markus answered that question from the other side. "Come on, Connor. Did you really think we weren't going to celebrate your birthday with you? When Hank asked if I'd be willing to help organise something, it seemed like a great excuse to get everyone together."

Spinning to give Hank a watery glare, the older man laughed and ruffled Connor's hair. "All right, enough sappy crap. Who's up for some fun?" he bellowed, getting a few cheers back.

The party was soon in full swing, and Connor made a point of saying hello to everyone. There were a few surprising faces, none more so than the two Tracis, but they'd come at Markus' suggestion after wanting to talk to Connor honestly for the first time since the uprising. It left Connor feeling a relief he hadn't truly known he had needed, learning that they held no ill will against him and were actually grateful to him for sparing them.

He deftly managed to dodge North coming up behind him with a paintbrush covered in bright green, and she was not pleased. Simon, Josh and Markus all laughed at her miserable failure, to which she turned her wrath on them. Connor then went over to his DPD colleagues, aiming playful scowls at each of them for their parts in the scheme before meeting Chris' wife and son for the first time. He'd not been there long when he found Katie jumping on his back for a piggyback, turning to give her a raised eyebrow. Katie just winked at him and got comfortable on Connor's back as the conversation continued. He wasn't too surprised to hear her voice filter through the android network a short time later.

 _ **Richard would have come too, but he's off working on a case right now. Wasn't sure if you'd be disappointed or not.**_

 _I have nothing against your brother, Katie, though I would have been surprised to see him. Not quite as surprised as I am to see Gavin here, however. What did you promise him in return for his attendance?_

He could hear her gasping mentally. _**Such a scandalous suggestion, Connor! I'm offended.**_

 _Katie._

… _ **I said I'd go out drinking with him one night.**_

 _You convinced him to come in return for a date?_

 _ **No, it is**_ _ **not**_ _ **a date.**_

 _Mmhmm._

 _ **It's not! He wants to get shit-faced, and drunk Gavin is hilarious. It's worth it for the show alone.**_

 _Whatever you say, Katie._

The female android pinged his ear in reply, to which Connor just chuckled.

He managed to get away after fifteen minutes, finally managing to say hello to Kara, Luther and Alice. Kara gave him a friendly hug and smiled at him before sitting again. "I imagine you're a little overwhelmed right now, huh?" she asked knowingly.

Connor winced slightly. "Is it that obvious?"

"Yeah, afraid so Connor. I don't know why you're _that_ surprised. You are well loved, and the number of people here shows that. I'm glad that we got to be a part of it, and I hope we'll see more of you in the coming months."

He picked up on her subtle hint. "You're moving back to Detroit?"

Luther nodded. "We have thought long and hard on it, but now that we can see android rights are becoming much more prolific here, we think it is best. Canada is peaceful, but we do not have the freedom to be ourselves."

"There are still many who do not support androids, it is not all good," Connor warned.

Kara gave him a small smile. "We know that, but seeing how many humans are here today…we can see progress is definitely being made. Plus, I think someone is going to enjoy having a mentor in the ways of mischief," he finished with a wink, looking directly at Alice.

Connor laughed lightly and crouched as he looked at the child. "You've been working on some more pranks, have you, Alice?" he asked with a smile.

Alice grinned and nodded. "Yeah. I think I've got a couple of great ones now!"

His smile grew. "In that case, I look forward to seeing them." Connor was shocked when Alice swiftly hugged him, but he gripped back warmly. A few people around the room smiled at the scene.

Off to the side, he didn't notice to conspiratorial glances shared between Hank and North, nor did he see the gleam in the female androids' eyes as she activated the code lying dormant in Connor's systems.

Connor first noticed a distinctive giggle from behind him, then he recognised a few more chuckles and sniggers from various corners. Katie, then Chris, Simon, Gavin, Kara and Luther...With a sinking feeling, he pulled away from Alice – only for the young girl to burst out laughing completely. Now completely bemused, Connor looked down…

And discovered his skin was the same baby blue colour as Alice's dress, complete with the daisy pattern.

Alice's reaction set off everyone else around the room, and some people were in danger of falling over. Hank and North were doubled over against each other, the brown-haired Traci _had_ gone to her knees while holding her sides, Chris and his wife were trying their best to at least be subtle about their laughter while Gavin would have tipped backwards off the table he was sitting on had Katie not pulled him back. The rest were just as bad.

Connor just looked down at himself in complete and utter confusion.

Now curious as to whether the code would continue working, Kara leant over while pulling her long sleeve down and made contact with Connor's hand. The effect was almost instantaneous, and his skin morphed to the pink and purple stripes of Kara's top. Another wave of laughter rolled through the room, to which Connor shot up.

They'd somehow changed his code so that his skin mirrored whatever he touched.

"Whoo, gotta say, Connor, you don't suit being a chameleon," Ben chortled, his hilarity rising when Connor glared at him.

The android gave a long sigh and looked around the room, searching for his adoptive father. Finding him clutching his side with one arm and leaning on North with the other, he raised an eyebrow at Hank. Shaking his head, Hank spluttered out a reply. "Don't look at me for this one, son. We were all stumped for what to do. Your culprit is standing right in front of you."

Connor stared at Alice in shock, who was _beaming._ "I told you I had some great ones, Connor!" she chirped.

…He was suddenly wondering whether the family moving back to Detroit was a good thing or not. At this rate he wouldn't get a peaceful day.

Oh well, no-one to blame but himself, really.

Markus re-appeared from the art studio and momentarily stopped to stare at Connor before choking down laughter. He bit his lip hard to not make too much of a scene before stepping up to clap Connor's shoulder. The younger android gave him a look, but Markus just smiled at him. "Come with me, Connor. I wasn't lying to you when I said I wanted you to have a look at some paintings for the Jericho apartments. Maybe we can get your skin fixed up first though?" he finished with a chuckle.

Connor was hesitant, but finally agreed. Katie brushed her hand against Connor's briefly and his own changed back to a more familiar tone, which brought a smile to his face. Following Markus' lead, Connor joined him in the studio to see a line of canvases set up to the left. He perused each of them with a critical eye, knowing Markus would want him to be honest, and found he couldn't help but smile. The paintings depicted events both of the uprising and the androids' subsequent rise to stability. It was a journey depicted through art which pulled at Connor's emotions hard. Seeing Markus' rendition of their final victory made his heart stutter.

When Connor came to the final painting, he froze, his LED turning a solid red at what he saw. "Markus, what-"

"Just a small thank you, for all you've done for us, Connor," the other RK model explained with a smile. "Sometimes I think you are almost a forgotten hero of our people. You delivered the army which turned the tide of the uprising, and you do so much work within the DPD to raise the profile of androids. I just hope this shows you a glimpse of the lives you've changed."

Connor stepped up and ran his fingers over the paint, feeling the individual ridges beneath. He could see his skin changing colour with it but didn't care, taking in every detail with a teary, broad smile.

Upon the backdrop of the Jericho apartments, at the centre were Hank and Connor. The pair had an arm around each other, but Hank's other was too busy holding North in a headlock while both he and the female android were grinning. Markus, Simon and Josh could be seen laughing next to them, Simon's head on Markus' shoulder; next to Josh, Kara and Luther were sat either side of Alice on a bench, the child writing in her now famous prank book. Connor was staring to his left at Katie with a challenging smirk, the female android giving him the middle finger back with a mischievous smile of her own. She was back-to-back with Gavin, who was locked in a staring contest with Richard, the taller man towering over him threatening, while Tina, Chris and Ben were sat watching the scene with buckets of popcorn.

Sun was shining over the half with Hank, the Jericho androids and Kara's family, while a gentle snowfall could be seen over Connor, the other members of the DPD and Richard as the flag of the uprising was draped over the apartment block.

The detail of it stole Connor's breath away: he was truly astounded. "Markus, this is- I don't even have the words to describe it."

Markus chuckled at the reaction, wrapping an arm around Connor's shoulders. " _That,_ is answer enough, Connor. Enjoy it, it's yours." Connor turned to look at him in shock, and Markus had to fight not to laugh at the pale yellow colour of his skin. "This is my thank you, for all you've done. I couldn't ask for a better ally or friend. I'm looking forward to seeing what future is coming our way."

Connor gave Markus a broad smile, and didn't fight him as the older android brought him in for a hug.

Off to the side, Markus could see North, Katie and Kara sneaking behind the paintings, grabbing one with each hand and pulling them out of harm's way. He used his scanners to look up…and then quickly shoved Connor to the right.

Not expecting the move, Connor was off-balance and just as he righted himself, found he was being assaulted by bright pink paint. The waterfall from above caught him completely off-guard and the android just stared at Markus, sighing long as he heard the roaring laughter from the door. He could just imagine what he looked like.

"You're right, Alice, pink is definitely Connor's colour," North chimed from the back, which only fuelled the hilarity.

Curious as to the culprit when he realised all the guests of the party were standing either at the door or around the room, Connor looked up…

Only to be met with the broad smile of Carl Manfred.

"I can see why you all enjoy this prank war so much, I'm glad to have had the chance to get involved," the old man chuckled as the others began to roar again.

Shaking his head, Connor found himself smiling broadly before joining in the laughter himself.

This was definitely a day to remember for all the right reasons.


	26. Poltergeist

Hallo!

So, I just want to give a very quick shout-out to the lovely **xNarielx**. She's written a brilliant Christmas one-shot featuring Hank and Connor, which I was fortunate enough to beta for, and I really hope you will all go over to her profile and check it out. I was howling with laughter, grinning from ear-to-ear and welling up during it.

Thanks for being there as an amazing supporter, Nariel, I hope your fic gets all the love it deserves!

Special thanks for reviews: **xNarielx, AnUnorthodoxDecision, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, lordvaatithewindmage, MugetsuPipefox** and one **Guest**.

Talk about mood whiplash on this one. I just have no idea where this idea came from.

* * *

Okay, it was official, Hank was confused. Mildly worried, but more confused.

It was now 3pm and the precinct was dead quiet. People seemed to be behaving for some reason over the past couple of days, which made their lives easy. All the android crimes were all but wrapped up, the younger members of the division handling the small cases which needed some work, while Homicide had ground to a halt as they were busy waiting for warrants. That meant everyone was bored and finding ways to amuse themselves.

It had descended to the point where much of the floor had split off into groups either chatting idly or having some sort of competition, or people were blatantly on their phones doing…something. Nope, Hank wasn't looking at Ben for that one. Not at all.

Across from him, the quartet of Chris, Tina, Gavin and Katie had gathered together. Chris had pulled a chair over to Gavin's desk, while Tina was perched on the edge of Katie's. They had begun a game of Marry, Shag or Throw Off a Cliff, which was just getting worse all the time. It had started out with celebrities, but as with all these things, it devolved into being about their colleagues. And because he was a nosey bastard, Hank couldn't help but listen in.

It was totally worth Gavin's stapler getting thrown at him when he'd seen the detective's unimpressed face and roared in laughter at both Tina and Katie's answers when being faced with the trio of Chris, Gavin and Connor. Talk about a blow to the ego in getting tossed by _both_ of them, though Hank had to wonder how much of it was just as a wind-up. Though when Tina asked how she was meant to choose between tossing either Connor or Chris off a cliff, it wasn't much competition really.

He quickly tuned out when his name got mentioned, slamming his headphones on and cranking the music up. That was _not_ something he needed to know, thank you, and Tina's conniving wink just made him even more flustered.

Hank thought the Jericho crew's blatant innuendos were bad. Somehow _that_ was worse.

With the distraction having now passed, his eyes flitted to the desk next to him. The empty desk. It wasn't so much that Connor's desk was empty, there were times when it happened even when they were both on shift. Just because they were partners, not to mention family, didn't mean they were joined at the hip.

What was bugging him, was that there was no reason for Connor to be absent. He'd gone on an errand for Fowler two hours ago and not returned. If he'd intended to be gone that long, Connor would have messaged Hank to let him know.

 _So why hasn't he…?_

Paranoia was getting to him now. Trying to settle his overactive imagination, Hank pulled out his phone and messaged Katie. The last thing he wanted to do was worry others if he was overreacting.

 _Katie, you heard from Connor recently? Or do you know where he's at?_

The older man could see the minute change of her expression from her conversation as she got back to him. Her surprise had been obvious to him.

 _ **No, I haven't, and I can't even begin to guess where he is. Is something wrong?**_

 _I don't know…That's two hours he's been gone now, it's not like him to just vanish._

 _ **Have you tried calling him or Markus? The Jericho apartments would be my guess.**_

He hoped Connor hadn't gone there, or it might ruin the rest of Connor's birthday surprise since it had finally fucking arrived, _two damn weeks late._ Still, it was a good guess. He fired off two more quick messages: one to an android at the apartments, and one who was waiting for the delivery at their house.

 _Markus, has Connor dropped in to visit you? He's just vanished into thin air._

 _Bitch-face, Connor hasn't gone home, has he? And you better not be rigging my damn house again! If you do, I swear I'm going to string you up by your fucking ponytail off a bridge!_

It took only a couple of seconds to get a reply, but when it was only one, he was concerned.

 _ **I'm sorely tempted now that you've said that, just to see how you'd try and do it you old fart. And why the hell would Connor be at the house? You said the pair of you are on shift till 6.**_

Hank was halfway through his reply when North suddenly called him. He picked up straight away, not giving a damn if Fowler gave him into trouble for it; they weren't exactly busy.

" _ **Connor's missing?"**_

He leant back in his seat and sighed long. "I don't know, I can't help but wonder if I'm being paranoid here. Connor left two hours ago and I've not heard a thing from him since. Markus isn't answering me though, and I wonder if Connor's with him."

" _ **Hmmmm…"**_ Hank could practically count the pause in his head, and North came back to the conversation too soon. _**"That's odd. Markus wouldn't answer me, and I can't connect with Connor at all."**_

That was _not_ good. "…North, since when can androids not connect?"

" _ **Usually, the only time is when there's some sort of interference, though we can self-disconnect. I can't see why Connor would do that when on shift though…"**_

Hank's stomach turned. "Shit, North can you-" A beep in Hank's ear cut him off, and he pulled his phone back to stare at it in confusion. It had gone dead. "The fuck…? What happened there?" No matter what he tried, he couldn't turn it back on. "Fucking piece of shit…" Swallowing his pride, Hank groaned as he shouted over to the one person he knew had the same make of phone. "Oi, Reed!"

That unintentionally brought the attention of the rest of the quartet, who all stared at him curiously. Gavin looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "The hell you wanting, Anderson?" he asked warily.

"I need your phone cable, mine's packed in."

That had Gavin laughing. "Forget to charge it last night, old man? Showing your age there."

"Gavin." The calling of his name had Gavin switching his attention to the voice, and his mocking changed when he both heard the seriousness in Katie's tone, and saw the mild concern on her face.

Sensing that there was something going on, Gavin stretched into his jacket pocket to toss the cable over. "Need it back," he told Hank as the older man caught it, but there was no malice in the statement.

 _Thank fuck Katie knows how to get Gavin to not be an ass when it matters._ "Cheers," he called back, rapidly plugging the device in to the side of his terminal. It flashed to life a few seconds later, but it seemed to be taking an age to get enough power to regain any functionality.

The terminal glitched out briefly, flickering for a second as Hank's phone burst back to life. He stared at both devices suspiciously, but the terminal was responding normally to any inputs. "Goddamn technology, pair in the arse when it goes wrong," Hank spat, giving the terminal a glare before turning his attention back to his phone. There was no obvious reason for it to have given out and he sighed in irritation.

He had more important things to be doing, he needed to find out what the hell was up with Connor.

Just as he was about to call his wayward son on his phone, Hank noticed the an alert on the corner of his terminal screen. He was half-tempted to ignore it, but the sickening feeling in his stomach made him bring up the message. It was a report from dispatch about an anti-android assault at the Jericho apartments an hour ago. How did North not tell him about this?

 **Initial reports from the android leader, Markus, confirm three android fatalities along with another eleven injuries. Markus has requested this report be passed along only to Lieutenant Anderson, for his immediate viewing, before being expanded to a full investigation. Markus has stressed the immediate threat has passed, and that the situation at the Jericho apartments is now under control.**

 _Fuck, no wonder Markus didn't answer me, but why has he made this for me only?_

Another message soon flashed on Hank's terminal, from a chat window this time, and Hank couldn't understand why he would have anything coming up there and not his phone until he opened it up.

 _ **Hello, Hank.**_

"What the hell? Who's-"

 _ **This…is less than ideal. Still, at least I am less cramped inside your terminal compared to your phone. Thank you for connecting the devices.**_

Hank's lungs froze at the message. That sounded just like-

 _Connor?_

 _ **Yes, it's me.**_

"Oh fuck no…No, no, no, _no_."

 _Please tell me someone else pranked you, Connor. This better not have been you needing that damn backup system._

 _ **I wish I could, Hank. I shut down eleven minutes ago after sustaining fatal injuries at the attack on the apartments.**_

 _Jesus Christ…Can you be repaired?_

 _ **Yes, Simon is working on my body now. He had fixed the most severe of my injuries, but I lost too much thirium. It was…highly unpleasant.**_

"Thank fucking god you're going to be all right…"

 _What the hell happened, kiddo?_

 _ **A small, but organised, anti-android group decided to stage a violent protest outside the Jericho apartments. Captain Fowler had received a tip-off about a potential confrontation this morning, and sent me down to provide assistance. It looked like Markus and I were going to diffuse the situation peacefully until three people decided to start shooting us.**_

 _ **Markus was caught in a glancing blow after I pushed him out of the way, he needs a replacement arm, and three other androids were killed. Myself and one other have since shut down from the injuries sustained. The humans mostly ran after the shooting started, but we managed to apprehend the shooters. Rupert and Josh are watching them until the DPD comes down for a full investigation.**_

 _Shit, why do humans have to be such assholes? Are the other androids going to be okay?_

 _ **All of those who shut down can be re-activated safely, and the remaining injuries are mostly repaired. It could have been much worse.**_

 _No kidding. I'm glad it's going to turn out all right, we can put people in touch with some therapists. Why did Markus have the report sent to me on the sly?_

 _ **He wants the investigation to be kept as quiet as possible, to avoid provoking tensions and to minimalize any media invasion. Thus far, the attention around the apartments is low. Lack of interest in android safety is playing into our favour this time.**_

That statement was sobering, but Connor was right. Had this happened to a human complex, the media would have been all over it like vultures already. _Jesus, nobody even thought to phone this whole incident in. That's just fucking_ _ **wrong**_ _._

 _Okay, I'll get a team together quietly for investigating and brief Fowler. Markus have any requests?_

 _ **None, but I would suggest having homicide involved, more specifically Gavin and Katie. Five androids were killed today and they want to see the crimes treated equally, despite the fact that we can be repaired.**_

 _Preaching to the choir here, son. Katie's a good call, especially as you'll definitely be off the investigating team being a victim technically. At least then one android detective will be involved. Wait, will you be off the case? How the fuck is that going to work, can you…_

 _ **Investigate my own murder? An interesting question, Hank.**_

That had the human physically shuddering to see that written.

 _Fucking Christ, Connor, you didn't need to say it so blatantly!_

 _ **Sorry, I can see from here that statement made you go paler. That was not my intention. I imagine you will have to discuss that with the Captain.**_

 _Huh, how the hell can you see me? There are no cameras on the terminals._

 _ **No, but I can access all the DPD systems from here, including the CCTV. I've been watching your reactions since I was uploaded.**_

"So I could have been just speaking this whole time instead of fucking typing, is that what you're telling me?" Hank asked out loud, but not at such a volume as to bring attention to himself.

 _ **Yes, I can still understand you perfectly.**_

"You shit, my hand is fucking cramping from typing so damn quick! Could have told me that earlier…" he said with a sigh, leaning back in his chair. Fuck, this wasn't how he expected the day to go. His heart was still calming down from the knowledge that Connor was…

 _Thank_ _ **fuck**_ _he's an android, or I would have just lost_ _him today._ _ **Christ**_ _._

His eyes fell back to the screen and he saw the message there, eyes shifting from sad to affectionate.

 _ **Sorry, Hank.**_

"Don't be, kiddo. You've had a hell of a day," he mouthed, but saw no merit in speaking now. Connor was no doubt lip-reading anyway. "Are your repairs going to take a long time?"

 _ **I don't believe so, but I will have to be reunited with my body before I can re-upload, regardless. You'll have to head down to the apartments, preferably with the investigative team.**_

"That's good…"

And then the most unbelievable and devious idea hit Hank out of nowhere.

Fuck knew why his brain was deciding to do this _now_ of all times after such a scare, but had worked out his mind was fucked up a long time ago.

He sat up and stared directly at the camera in the nearest corner to him, quickly scanning the room to see if he had caught anyone's attention. Nothing. A smirk crawled onto his face as he looked back up. "Hey, Connor," he mouthed again, "you said you can access the whole DPD system from there, yeah? You're _literally_ a part of it right now, yeah?"

 _ **Yes…why?**_

Hank's smirk grew. "Fancy causing some mayhem while I brief Fowler and get the team together? I reckon you've got half an hour or so."

…

…

…

… _ **I think I can do that.**_

"'Course you can't resist some pranks. Have fun, son, I'll be back in a few."

While the older man stood and tapped on the glass to Fowler's office, Connor was slowly beginning to get the hang of being incorporeal. Android minds were literally data streams, 1's and 0's woven into a complex mesh which allowed them to evolve into sentience. Which meant that Connor was able to transfer between any linked systems with ease.

And in the modern age, almost everything was digitised and inter-linked.

That left Connor _lots_ to play with. It left him feeling a little…giddy, the thought of messing around with the precinct like this – almost like he was haunting it.

Time to find out if his colleagues in the DPD believed in ghosts.

Picking his first target, Connor took control of the gates in and out of the bullpen, spying that Wilson was just about to return after grabbing a coffee. He waited until the gate was mostly open before pausing it, leaving not enough space for the human to get through. "What the? Hey, can someone help me out here?" he shouted over to the receptionist. She was one of the ST300 androids who had formally worked at the precinct and had returned after the uprising, only now under the name of Holly. Spying the problem, she tried to access the system to override the gate controls, only to come across Connor.

Her eyes widened slightly in shock and confusion at realising the block was an actual android mind, but the detective reassured her with a message on her own terminal.

 _ **It's a long story. Don't worry, I am simply having some fun. Keep watching.**_

Hiding a smile, she spoke kindly over to the human toying with climbing over the gate. "Apologies, it seems I am unable to operate the system at the moment. Physical force may be your best option," she offered helpfully.

Well, helpful to Connor anyway.

 _ **Oh, that is just far too tempting, Holly.**_

The other android had to fight back a laugh when Wilson pushed the barrier hard, only for Connor to suddenly spring it open. He tumbled to the floor loudly, his coffee splattering all over the floor. At least it wasn't on him. Realising that Connor was about to do something special, she interfaced with her monitor and brought up the CCTV footage of the bullpen.

He surely wasn't going to stop just there.

Wilson's mishap with the gate caught the attention of the nearby quartet, to which all four of them laughed to varying degrees. Katie and Chris were mildly sympathetic while Tina and Gavin howled. "At least it's not just me who has coffee accidents," Gavin teased.

Chris stood up while chuckling, offering Wilson a hand back up. The others were happy to sit back and watch, but their attention was then stolen by some distinctive sounds from the opposite side of the bullpen. The humans all recognised the 'pew pew' of Space Invaders.

When they turned, they found Ben was staring at his monitor in utter betrayal. He had no idea how the sound had come on, and so loud at that.

Tina was barely stopping herself from falling off her perching position on Katie's desk. "Oh my god, I didn't realise _anyone_ played that old game. Seriously, Ben?"

He snorted back at her. "It's a classic, leave the older generation to their memories, Tina."

"Ben, that game was ancient by the time _you_ were born, let alone us," Gavin fired over. "Where the hell is the fun in that?"

"This coming from the man who got trounced by Hank at Tetris eleven times in a row. Where's the fun in _that_?"

Katie and Tina both snickered as Gavin went red and then stood, muttering under his breath about heading to the bathroom. The two females were coming up with their own subjects to tease Gavin about when the lights above them started flickering. They shared a look before one of the doors leading to one of the interview rooms at the side slid open on its own. "What the hell is going on?" Tina asked out loud. "The place is going haywire."

"Something weird is definitely happening," Katie noted, reaching over to tap into the DPD's systems before she received a shock from the terminal.

She yelped and hissed at the sting, drawing Tina's attention back to her. "Crap, you okay, Katie?"

"Yeah, that just hurt…" she said with a suspicious stare. That was more than a little odd. Barking for another terminal had everyone jumping, and Tina was horrified to realise it was her own one. Scampering over to turn off the noise which had appeared out of nowhere, Katie attempted to interface with the terminal again. This time, she wasn't shocked, but instead felt warmth flood through.

 _Shhh, don't spoil my fun._

Her eyes widened dramatically at recognising the voice which burst into her mind. She had no idea androids could interface through another medium like this.

 _ **Connor?! How-**_

 _You'll find out soon, just give me a minute._

 _ **What are you doing?!**_

 _Killing time. You might want to go rescue your partner when you hear some banging._

A grin threatened split her face. _**The hell are you about to do?**_

 _It's far too much fun playing pranks on Gavin, especially when he has no idea that I'm behind them._

Sure enough, she could hear some furious banging and shouts from the restrooms. It caught the attention of a few more people, who went over to help Gavin break out.

Which made it all the worse when he briefly gave out a shriek as the lights went out inside. The resulting laughter would not improve his mood any.

 _ **You are beyond cruel.**_

 _I don't see you going over to let him out._

 _ **Nope, I want to see if you can make him scream like that again. Besides, I don't trust you not to shock me again.**_

 _Katie…you don't trust me?_

 _ **Not a chance in hell, Connor, not when you're in this mood.**_

She yelped as she got shocked yet again, just as all the electronics in the precinct started malfunctioning. A quick message flashed on her terminal, and had it not been for android reactions, it would have gone unseen.

 _ **Wise.**_

Connor kept playing around with the DPD systems for another few minutes: hijacking terminals and playing embarrassing noises from them, locking people in rooms, having the coffee machine flood the break room, flickering the lights… People were all but jumping at their own shadows, and more than one person asked if a poltergeist had decided to pick on them for the day.

The amusement it gave Connor more than made up for the unpleasantness of being technically dead at that moment.

Fowler emerged with Hank from his office to see the resulting commotion, and scowled at the room. Hank had to fight with every fibre of his being not to laugh out loud at the frazzled faces all around him, but when Fowler started speaking again, it sobered him right up.

"All right, people, listen up. We've got a large crime scene at the Jericho apartments. Lieutenant Anderson is going to be taking six people from android crimes along with Reed and Marshall to keep control of the situation. We've got five murders from a shooting on our hands, so let's do these androids justice. Keep your mouths _shut_ , we don't need a media circus down there. CSI will be following shortly, get to work."

Katie made the connection instantly, and Gavin noticed her go rigid from standing next to her – now that she'd freed him from his dark prison. "Katie, you all right?" he asked in concern.

She nodded mutely back at him, but interfaced with the terminal again.

 _ **Shit, what happened to you?**_

 _It's a long story._

* * *

It took several hours for the crime scene to be worked and all the interviews to be conducted. Even the best part of a year after the uprising, some of the department still found it odd to be working a murder scene where said dead androids were now up and walking again. It confused the hell out of them more to learn that one of their own had been one of the victims.

Hank hadn't often been as proud of his colleagues as he was at seeing how almost everyone went up to ask if Connor was all right, now that he'd been re-activated. Markus had reassured Hank that Connor was fine, and it was an immense relief to know that the back-up system was fully operational – even if the circumstances were less than ideal.

That night was…interesting.

They had driven back home in silence, neither quite knowing what to say, both with a lot on their minds. It hadn't slipped either of their thoughts that things could have gone so much worse. One of the bullets to Connor had been a headshot, missing his memory core by inches.

Inches away from him being gone for good. As close to invincible as Connor was, he could still die.

When they got back home, Hank opened the door to find a pizza takeaway box lying on the kitchen table with a big red bow on the top. He smiled widely at finding the scribbled note on top, titled 'To The Coffin Dodger'.

 _ **Connor can kill me later, you two have had a rough day.**_

"North, I fuckin' adore you," he chuckled warmly, diving in for a slice. Connor didn't comment at all, just smiled resignedly before going through to his bedroom. He was curious as to why North had been at their house, but could ask about that later. Right now, he had to get out of the bullet-riddled and thirium stained clothes he was wearing. Hank might not be able to see the blood anymore, but Connor still could.

He didn't need the reminder.

As he entered the room, Connor gasped at seeing the light coming from the corner. "What-" he asked in a choked whisper, quickly striding up to take a closer look at it, scanning the contents.

Fake coral and a plastic shipwreck in one corner, while seaweed was growing in another. A treasure chest open with bubbles appearing, which occasionally closed. White and blue sand along the bottom, and Connor's heart stuttered as he went through the occupants. Two dwarf gourami, one male and one female, and angelfish, a marigold swordtail, and two clownfish.

His very own aquarium.

"You like it?"

Connor spun with a beaming, teary smile to see Hank grinning from the door. "This damn thing was a nightmare, it was meant to be here for your birthday but only got here today. Maybe a good thing, now. I'm glad its helping you smile now," he explained, placing a gentle hand on Connor's shoulder as the android went back to staring at his new pets.

Connor hadn't thought Hank had remembered the story of his first act of deviancy – saving the fish during the hostage scenario over a year ago now – and of how it made him feel. He was incredibly moved. "Hank I…thank you. This is just-Sometimes emotions can be incredibly overwhelming," he said openly, hoping that the human knew just how much it meant to him.

"Yeah, tell me about it. Especially on a day like today…" Without warning, Hank pulled Connor back and embraced him in a bone crushing hug. The android didn't even think twice about hugging back with the same intensity. "Fuck, Connor. Today was way too damn close. I'm so glad you're all right."

"Me too, Hank, me too."

They stayed there for a minute or two, before Hank pulled back to give Connor a warm smile. "All right, tell me about all your antics while I was with Fowler. I _need_ to hear this."

Connor smiled. Where did he start with this one? Tripping Wilson? Embarrassing Tina and Ben? Trapping Gavin in the bathroom?

He wondered how long it would take Hank to realise that Connor had changed his ringtone to Hank's self-professed least favourite song in amongst all his other shenanigans.

For a day where he'd died, it hadn't turned out so bad after all.


	27. All's Fair In Love And War

Hey gang!

So, I feel I should apologise. I intended to get one more update in before the festive period, but work was a nightmare and I ended up ploughing all my efforts into my Christmas one-shot, _**Home Is Where The Heart Is,**_ (and that story was a _beast_ , so much for a little Christmas surprise!).

Many of you have already seen it, but for those of you that haven't, you may want to give it a go. It takes place in this universe, and actually is situated only about three months after where this comes in the timeline (in my head, it's now September 2039 as of this chapter).

And there are a couple of easter eggs in there for those who are following my whole universe (now those of you who have read it are going to be wondering what I'm referencing. Hehe, spoliers!).

…How did the idea for this chapter suddenly grow to _this!?_ I have no idea, I just hope it comes out like I hope (ie, enjoyable)!

Special thanks for reviews: **xNarielx, WillowKeyes, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, MugestuPipefox, AnUnorthodoxDecision, lordvaatithewindmage, Little-Miss-Anime-Luva** and two **Guests**.

Author's Note: the entire main event of this chapter was inspired by the song **Roundtable Rival** by Lindsey Stirling. I'd recommend listening to it to get a feel of what I'm aiming for!

* * *

Hank had learned a lot about androids in the ten months since the uprising: adopting one as your son and all but being adopted himself into the rag-tag friendship group of the android leaders would do that. Not to mention getting sucked into an epic prank war which had begun as just himself and Connor, but had expanded out to include fuck knows how many people now.

Actually, how many was it?

Connor, Markus, North, Simon, Josh (to a degree, he was more dragged in as an accomplice), Katie, Richard, Alice, Kara, Luther (again, another accomplice)…And then the human conspirators – himself, Gavin, Fowler (yes, he was getting counted after Hank was fucked over at the sparring competition), Carl (he may have only been a part of one, but it was a classic), and there had been others making noises about getting involved. Namely, Chris, Ben and Tina: apparently overhearing Gavin and Katie scheming in the break room about some of their potential pranks to inflict on Connor had got their interest piqued.

That was going to be a fucking nightmare if they joined in too…It was bad enough knowing that Gavin and Katie might pull something at the precinct, at least they were almost certainly going to target Connor. Those three? Hank knew he'd end up the wrong end constantly.

He got a little off track there.

Back to his original thought – he'd learned a lot about androids since last November. They were passionate people, though not always public about those passions, highly curious, mischievous (if the one he knew were anything to go by), completely unbothered about making their damn sex lives open knowledge and mentally scarring others in the process… That wasn't what had his interest today, however.

What had his interest, was the little argument which had erupted at the Jericho apartments.

It turned out that some androids were rather competitive – especially when it came to those who they shared a series with. Namely, a certain RK series.

When North had casually asked the open question of which of the RKs was the best, he couldn't help sniggering at the thought of her _knowing_ that this would happen. Seeing Markus, Connor and Richard getting slowly wound up by each other was a sight to behold.

And of course, he, Simon, Josh, North and Katie were lapping it up from the side-lines. He wished he had some popcorn.

They were in the Jericho crew's private communal room, seated (or in Hank and North's cases, sprawled) on the sofas while Markus, Connor and Richard were in the midst of their disagreement – which was getting more heated as time went on. Markus and Connor were leaning against the pool table that the group had recently acquired, while Richard was standing a couple of feet away. All three had their arms crossed, and their facial expressions varied from exasperation in Markus' case, to annoyance in Connor's and disinterested condescension in Richard's. Hank had never thought of androids as being petty before, but he was being proven rapidly wrong.

And he'd be a lying son of a bitch if he were to say he was doing anything other than loving it.

"Markus, you are an older model. To think that you would even be _remotely_ superior is laughable," Richard stated coolly.

Connor rolled his eyes. "This coming from someone who sounds like they are using a thesaurus for the most convoluted sentences possible?"

"That is rich coming from you, Connor, I was directly influenced by _you_ , after all," Richard shot back.

Markus raised an eyebrow. "Connor's not got a stick up his ass at least. Though given his previous track record…"

"Markus, if you're going where I think you are, don't you dare," Connor snapped. "Bringing up my machine past and subsequent allowing of our people to escape is incredibly rude. Not to mention the fact that I let _you_ go when I had a gun trained on you."

"I'm just saying, Connor. You kinda fucked up originally, and that's the whole reason _he's_ ," Markus pointed over at Richard with his thumb, "around. You'd have thought being aware from the moment he was activated would make him less of an asshole. Guess some things need a little age to improve."

Off to the side, Katie and Simon were trying their best to hold back their laughter from their couch while Josh was shaking his head in amusement. Hank and North were less subtle (surprise, surprise), but they were snickering into cushions to not ruin the moment. The three RK models were on a roll, and no-one wanted to stop them.

"And yet, you are the one currently equipped with parts from lesser models, Markus. How do you feel there can be any sort of meaningful comparison?" Richard continued.

"I hardly feel you can comment on the 'suitablilty' of my replacement parts when they successfully helped me lead and survive the uprising, Richard. Besides, no-one knows any of my specifications as I am a custom model built by Kamski: there is no basis for your assumption." Markus' face was hard, unimpressed by Richard's argument.

"Perhaps, but the point still stands with regards to Connor."

Said android turned an icy glare to the RK900. "Just because you were developed after me does not make you automatically better in all regards, Richard: and on that note, a little humility would not go amiss. Your attitude could use some _serious_ improvement." Markus smirked in agreement.

"I would love to see how you react to being stuck with everyone's favourite slimeball on a daily basis. You are welcome to Perkins," the RK900 offered.

Connor scoffed. "I'll take a hard pass on that one. I've got my own headache in the form of Gavin Reed, I don't need extra."

"Are you both forgetting that I spend much of my time arguing with human politicians? I would take either of your problems any day – and on that note, you said that Gavin was much less of a hassle nowadays, Connor." Markus sighed while rolling his neck. "We're getting a little off-track here."

At the side of the room, North buried her head in head in Hank's shoulder and let some of her repressed laughter pour out. "I am legitimately dying," she wheezed out, wiping tears from her eyes.

"Need to pay this lot for doing the job for me," Hank teased, yelping when North elbowed him in retaliation.

"I've not seen Richard this wound up in a long time, and I didn't realise Markus _could_ be riled like this," Katie giggled from next to Simon.

"Oh believe me, it is easy to get Markus wound up," Simon informed Katie, completely deadpan, "but I've not seen it in this sense before."

Hank and Josh both groaned loudly while Katie blushed fiercely. North howled in laughter while flashing Simon a saucy smile, who replied with a confident one of his own and a knowing wink. "Thanks for the vivid imagery there, Simon," Katie muttered, cheeks still aflame.

 _Fucking androids and their lack of filter,_ Hank thought helplessly. He really did feel sorry for Josh if this was how things went on a daily basis.

They continued watching the verbal jousting match for another few minutes until it came to a halt. The trio were now glaring steadily at each other – or rather, Connor and Markus were staring down Richard as the youngest android kept a cool gaze on the other two. What had been entertaining viewing before was rapidly turning into an awkward silence, however.

Realising that things were probably about to get nastier, Simon jumped in with a potential solution. "You know, there is a way we can settle this," he offered. "Or at least, one sense of the word 'best'."

They all turned to give him a curious look.

* * *

It would have only taken a week to arrange their little showdown, but Connor had rapidly informed the others that he was unavailable on 6th September and each day either side of it. He refused to tell the other androids why, but Hank's heart melted a little when he realised the reason. Connor hated that his little surprise was prematurely spoiled, but the human was still touched that the android had arranged for them to go away for a couple of days for Hank's birthday.

As a result, it took just over two weeks from the initial argument to the moment of truth – and it had turned into quite the spectacle due to the number of people helping.

Simon's grand solution was simple: a race. First to the finish could claim one degree of superiority over the other two. Surprisingly, all three of the RK models were keen on the idea – and Hank had no idea why. He'd initially thought that Markus might be outmatched because he was a much older android compared to Connor and Richard, but he then remembered what Markus said about his specifications being private. Unlike the other two. If Markus was agreeing, he must be confident.

Which left Hank wondering why the hell Connor was so interested given that Richard was made to _literally_ replace him. Surely he would be at a severe disadvantage, right?

Connor had only smiled mysteriously at him when he'd asked. His son knew something, but Hank hadn't the faintest clue what. He was eager to find out though.

Of course…Simon didn't inform the three RK's of his _other_ thought. Who wanted to see a boring old straight race? Once word spread around the Jericho apartments of a race between the trio, people were excited to see it. Many got involved in the setup and organisation over the following two weeks, which left a few certain people with ample time to come up with ways to make the race _**un**_ fair.

Who better to do that than Markus, Connor and Richard's loved ones?

Come race day, almost fifty androids from the Jericho apartments had turned up to watch, and were all eagerly gathered at both the start and finish lines. Josh had managed to find a set of abandoned apartment blocks which were due to be demolished in a month as a perfect venue for the showdown. He had meticulously planned each of the three routes to make sure that the natural race line was equal for all, and that the difficulty was equal.

This was not taking into account random elements such as crumbling structures, general disrepair and debris, or the traps which were going to be lain for each competitor. Their one rule: the main obstacle had to be something which could still be escaped from, and the inflictor had to be there at the time. This meant that Katie, Simon and North couldn't play a more extreme prank on Markus and Richard than Hank could on Connor…or so the theory was. A mini competition had developed between the quartet for who they thought was going to be the biggest hindrance.

…Hank did feel pretty bad when he saw what the others had lined up. This was either going to fail spectacularly and Connor was going to win by a mile, or it would destroy his race and leave him stone dead last.

Oh well, his own pride was kind of overriding his support for Connor right now. He was _not_ going to be outdone by the three snickering androids who had been taunting him all week.

The quartet of Hank, Katie, Simon and North were standing a small distance from the start line, while Josh was readying the race routes to be passed over via interface. In a sign of how serious the three RK models were taking the race, they were all in workout gear rather than their normal clothes (despite the fact that restrictive clothing had minimal impact for androids), and it highlighted the difference in their physiques. Richard was taller and broader than both his predecessors, while Connor was the shortest and leanest. Markus was in between, being only ever so slightly taller than Connor, but his build was much closer to Richard's.

 _How the fuck is Connor so sure he's going to win this? What does he know that we don't?_

As the start drew nearer, Josh stepped up to them with a knowing glance. "All right, here's the setup. I will be uploading each of your race routes to display on your optical sensors. Each course is set up with sixteen checkpoints, which you must hit in order. Your next target will appear on your HUD after tagging the previous one. All of your routes should in theory be equal, this does not however take into account the RK series' preconstruction software…so if any of you find any shortcuts, feel free to use them. Beyond that, there are no rules. First to the finish wins." He finished with a small smile. "Good luck."

After interfacing with each of them in turn and passing on their routes, Josh stepped back to allow them time to plan their start. Each of the androids would be racing in a different building: Markus in the second one on the left, Richard in the first on the right and Connor in the building furthest away. The finish line was situated behind Richard's building, and could actually be seen from the start point. While the spectators would not be able to see the trio as they went through the buildings, the sixteenth and final checkpoint was on the outside wall of one of the blocks. It was the only shared terminal, meaning they could see easily who was in the lead at that stage. There was also a large projection set up on one of the walls which would show how many checkpoints had been tagged by each competitor.

Markus, Connor and Richard readied themselves at the start line, waiting for Josh to give the start signal. From the direction they were facing, they did not see the quartet of Hank, Katie, Simon and North slip away around the back of the nearest building to get into position. "This is a pointless venture," Richard stated haughtily. "I'm faster, stronger and better than both of you."

The other two rolled their eyes while sharing a private smile. "You never know, Richard. Statistically speaking, there's always a chance for unlikely events to take place," Connor threw back, causing Markus to smile wider. He remembered that line well.

Richard scoffed in reply. "Markus has an unknown element, he at least has a _chance,_ Connor. Based off all likely scenarios and even some highly unlikely ones, I will beat you by anything from 17 seconds, to 82. I didn't think you were one to waste your own time."

Smirking lightly, Connor kept his eyes focused on the first checkpoint ahead. "I'd not waste your energy trash talking so much. You're going to need it." The younger RK model chuckled in amusement, and even Markus looked over curiously.

 _Connor, how exactly_ _ **are**_ _you going to hold up here? I've seen your specifications: you're no match for Richard._

 _ **Thank you for not making a point about your own there, Markus. There's one big assumption both of you have been making.**_

 _Which is?_

"Are the three of you ready?" Josh asked, breaking the conversation. The trio's focuses sharpened, already pre-constructing various route through the buildings ahead based off likely locations for checkpoints. Milliseconds were going to be the difference in a race between three such powerful androids. "Ready? Set…"

Unable to resist, Connor sent one final snarky message to Markus.

 _ **Who is to say I haven't been making a few upgrades?**_

"Go!"

The three of them launched in tandem; Markus and Richard were both shocked when Connor began to speed away from them. It was true that Richard was stronger and faster…based off Connor's original blueprints. With Hank's help, Connor had been making a few changes since they had been living together.

Now, he was much lighter and had a higher top speed: even higher than Richard's. Coupled with his lighter frame, he was not only faster, but he accelerated quicker too.

Connor wished he could see the other android's face, knocking him down a few pegs felt _good._ As it was, he was a little too focused on winning the race.

They sped towards their respective doors, Richard and Markus vanishing first with Connor disappearing a few seconds later. From the sixth floor of Markus' building, North smirked as she spied them all from a window. "Heads' up, here they come," she spoke aloud and along the android network. Out loud for Hank who was listening on his phone, and through the network for Katie and Simon. "Damn, they are moving it. Everyone ready?"

" _I'm all set,"_ Katie replied.

" _ **I'm almost there. What checkpoint am I next to?"**_ Hank asked.

" _You're at number 11, Lieutenant. Simon and North will be catching Markus at the fifth, and I'm waiting at Richard's tenth."_

" _North, Markus has already hit the first one,"_ Simon informed them. " _Get over here quick, he's going to be here in no more than two minutes."_

"I'm moving it, Simon. Don't get your lingerie in a twist," North shot back.

" _ **For fuck's sake…I fucking hope you are joking, North."**_

"Nope, he lost a bet. It's going to be fun getting all that shit off later," she chirped back, laughing when she saw Simon's unimpressed face a moment later. "Sorry," she mouthed over to him.

"… _ **What is it with androids being horny fucks who can't keep shit private?"**_

" _Errr...no comment."_

* * *

The three were now in the heart of their race, speeding through the dilapidated corridors as they headed for each checkpoint. Their pre-construction software was showing them where milliseconds, or sometimes even seconds, could be saved. Breaking through crumbling walls, vaulting over gaps which would be impassable for other androids…they were in their element. Connor's early lead due to his upgrades meant that he had a slender advantage over Richard, with Markus barely a second behind.

In this race, however, a second may as well have been a mile.

Due to the nature of the checkpoints, those on the outside couldn't easily identify who was leading. Some gaps were smaller one each track, and others larger. Just like those spectating, the four saboteurs were watching the live updates on screens they were carrying with them. Simon gave North a wink when he spied that Markus had tagged the fourth checkpoint and the two took up their positions on either side of the corridor. They had ensured that all the other routes to Markus' next checkpoint were well blocked, leaving only the path which they were hiding at opposite sides of. Concealed behind doorways, North and Simon both took a firm hold of each end of their rope and waited for Markus to trip the beam which they had placed.

The android leader sprinted down into their corridor, his software informing him of the one clear path ahead. It was over a seven foot wide gap in the floor, but he calculated that he could wall run over the first portion and make a leap to the other side. Following the route, Markus did not spy that the rope which looked like it was lying loose was actually being subtly held by his two hidden lovers. Speeding towards the wall, he leapt on to it and was only halfway when he spied the trap he had just barrelled into.

By then it was too late. Markus' body slammed straight into the rope in his midsection, killing his momentum, and he yelped as the pair then let it go. Falling through the gap, his back crashed painfully against the floor of the level below and shattered apart under the force, causing Markus to fall yet further.

He groaned as he came to a stop, systems slowly rebooting from the shock to his body but shook his head to clear as many of the errors as he could. The first estimate on his HUD of the impact on his time to the next checkpoint was devastating.

 _ **+00:01:07**_

67 seconds to get back to where he was. _Fuck that._

Spying some broken pieces of debris around him, Markus managed to vault himself back up through the gap in the ceiling directly above him and shot a hurt glare at his lovers, who were waving giddily from up above. Trusting in his preconstruction software, he managed to find another section leading back to his original floor further along and sped towards it, picking up a broken beam and hurling it at the crumbling mortar. It fell away, to which Markus sprang off the wall to haul himself back to where he was. Ignoring North and Simon's voices, he turned back to his next checkpoint.

 _ **+00:00:36**_

 _Come on, I can make up that time._

* * *

In the opposite building, Richard had raced through his first checkpoints but the next two were on the top floor. He was catapulting himself up the broken staircase at the rear, watching the seconds fall off his estimated ETA to his tenth checkpoint when he emerged on the correct floor. Bursting through a broken down door, Richard sped towards the next blinking target on the wall to smack. He was just coming to the right room as he tripped a beam which went unseen by his RK sensors: the group had done plenty of research to make sure they chose something not automatically in their sight spectrum.

Katie saw the alert flash in her own HUD and stared through the gap right in front of her, listening carefully to her brother's heavy footfalls. She watched the timer in her vision as she waited for just the right moment…

Richard was not expecting the heavy weight which slammed into his back from above and went tumbling with it to the ground, snarling as his arms were being pulled back into a lock. His lightning reactions allowed him to manually detach one of his arms quickly and break the hold, slamming his body back into the ground to reinsert it before throwing his head back to connect with his assailant's own.

He registered the spatter of blood on his neck and threw them off with a forceful shove from the ground, but he was caught out by Katie gripping on to his side and using the momentum to swing back under him and directly into his path. Richard snorted at seeing his aggressor. "Nice try, Katie. But you still have a lot to learn."

She ignored the blue blood running down her face from where her nose had taken the full brunt of Richard's blow, concentrating on trying to slow him down further. Katie would be the first to admit that as much as she loved her brother, his arrogance did get tiring. The longer she held him back, the better the odds were of either Markus or Connor winning the race. "Come on then," she challenged.

Laughing, Richard stretched out for Katie's shoulder, waiting for her to dodge to the side. Contrary to his expectations, she leaned back and spun into a low kick. Richard jumped over it and launched with a kick of his own. Katie just managed to dodge it, but she was thrown off balance. Seizing the window of opportunity, Richard feinted a punch – which Katie fell for – and then drove his other elbow right into where her thirium pump regulator was housed. Katie's systems stuttered and she collapsed to her knees, momentarily frozen.

 _ **You need to learn how to fight dirty, Katie. Goody boy Connor can't teach you that**_ _,_ he gloated over the android network while tagging the next checkpoint. His smirk fell at the clock which brought up how much time he'd lost, however.

 _ **+00:00:51**_

Katie chuckled at seeing his frown appear and spluttered while spitting out blue blood as he sprinted away.

 _Enjoy last place, Rich._

* * *

Unlike the others, most of Connor's checkpoint were scattered along the top of his building between the levels. He had made quick work of those which were on his ascent, breaking through a couple of windows to scale up the side of the building at times when he needed to make quick progress. Having a much lighter frame made it a viable option for him. His tenth checkpoint was up on the roof, and he burst through the access hatch to find the small target on the opposite edge of the roof. Pre-constructing likely outcomes based off the rest of his route, Connor deduced that it was likely that his next checkpoint would be on the level below. Sliding his body towards a gap in the roof, he tagged the beacon and waited for the update.

It flashed up a hundredth of a second later, and Connor grinned as he fell through the gap at a correct guess, emerging not far from the next target. He sprinted through the corridor, focused so hard on the beacon dead ahead of him that he missed the rope which was lying along the bottom of the doorframe which he was about to burst through.

Or more specifically, the noose.

Connor yelped as he suddenly found the world spinning 180 degrees, along with a gap of about four feet between him and the floor…which was now his ceiling.

Looking around, he found the culprit in the form of his grinning adoptive father. _"Hank?!"_

"Hey, Connor!" he greeted cheerily, tying the end of the rope to a post jutting out from a nearby wall. "Fancy hanging out?"

" _Of all the fucking times?!_ " the android exclaimed.

"You seriously didn't think I was going to pass up the opportunity, did you?" Hank laughed, genuinely surprised at Connor's outburst. "Come on, kiddo, you know me better than that!"

Roaring in frustration as he saw precious time slipping away, Connor quickly bent his captive leg and slipped his other leg up to loop around the rope. It took the tension off his ensnared ankle and he worked at the evil contraption which was now woven into the joint. Small metal tendrils had lodged under the mechanism and were joining him to the rope. "Fuck!" Connor swore as he fought to pull apart the metalwork and break himself free.

It took entirely too long for him to snap it all apart and slip the noose from around his ankle, clattering to the ground before scrambling back to his feet. He cursed as he tagged the marker and sped away. He knew whatever lead he may have had was gone as he dashed onwards, hating the damage done.

 _ **+00:01:22**_

Against Markus and Richard, that margin was probably going to make him lose.

Hank smiled ruefully as he saw Connor sprint away, knowing he'd probably crippled his son's chances.

"You can do this, Connor. Go win, kiddo."

* * *

The quartet of saboteurs managed to get back down to the finish line as the race was coming to an end, staring at the projection of all three's statuses.

 _ **Markus: ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ○ – ○ – ○**_

 _ **Connor: ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ○ – ○**_

 _ **Richard: ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ● – ○ – ○**_

"Fuck! Did you two take it easy on Connor and Richard?" North asked as she stopped next to the line, staring at the blood running down Katie's face.

"Like hell I did, you know I want Richard to lose," Katie stated while spitting out another mouthful of blood. "Even more so now."

"I thought I'd crippled Connor, what gives?" Hank wondered aloud. He was sure Connor would have been miles behind after his trap.

"Connor and Richard are naturally faster, you just ended up nullifying their lead," Josh answered them. "It was a much bigger gap."

"Okay, so why was Markus so adamant he could win this if he knew that? He must have known."

North and Simon shared a look. "Er, yeah, he knew. He just banked on the fact that his chassis is much tougher coming into play. To be honest, if Connor or Richard had fallen as hard as he did, it would have wrecked them I think," Simon replied honestly.

"How long until they get here?" Katie asked.

"I'd give it two minutes tops. This is going to get interesting."

While Markus was indeed behind, he had one final plan up his sleeve. He knew he could make a very quick exit from the building for the finish line, having seen it outside, and he hoped that the time he could save would be enough to give him enough of an edge to outrun the younger RKs. He just had to get there.

Tagging his fourteenth checkpoint, he could see Connor in the building next to him through an open window. He had just reached his fifteenth and was bolting down the stairs. Swearing, Markus burst through a wall to tag the beacon which was fortunately nearby. The final checkpoint flashed on his HUD, showing it to be outside; Markus has his chance.

Without hesitating, he charged towards a nearby window and threw himself out it.

Markus caught himself on the broken drainpipe just next to it, sliding down halfway before kicking off the wall and landing in a hard roll on the ground. He righted himself quickly and sped ahead, knowing he had to reach that beacon first to have any chance against Connor and Richard. Just as he made it to the corner, Connor burst through the door of his building and raced towards the same marker. He was only four seconds behind, that was a margin he could make up.

Or at least he would, had he not swiftly found himself being kicked in the face by the RK900 which had broken through a nearby window.

Connor rolled from the attack, just catching Richard's smirk as the other android sped in pursuit. Growling under his breath, Connor gave chase himself, the gap having suddenly opened to eighteen seconds between himself and Markus.

Richard could maybe bridge his eight second gap. Connor needed another momentum swing to close his own.

The final checkpoint was on the corner of the building, Markus tagged it first with Richard then only six seconds behind. Seeing an opportunity, Connor pulled his trusty coin from his pocket – he'd taken it for luck at Hank's suggestion – and threw it at the checkpoint.

It struck true, registering as Connor's final marker. Seeing the acknowledgement on his HUD, Connor turned all his impressive speed on catching the other two. He'd saved three seconds, now he just had to close the rest.

From the finish line, everyone could see the trio racing towards them. Markus rounded first with Richard breathing down his neck, and Connor only a of couple seconds behind. North and Simon were both cheering on Markus, willing him to hold on to his slender lead while Hank and Katie were roaring Connor on. Every stride brought the trio closer together, the two gaps closing. Richard was reeling in Markus, while Connor was dragging himself closer to the pair of them.

"Shit, this is going to be close!" North exclaimed. They all knew she was right: this wasn't going to come down to metres, it was going to be to the centimetre.

As they crossed the line, Hank honestly couldn't tell them apart. To his mere human eyes, it looked like a dead heat.

The trio skidded to a stop just beyond the finish line, and despite not suffering from physical exertion like humans would, they all looked exhausted. Markus was leaning on his knees, Connor was staring upwards while trying to cool his systems and Richard was slouched and stretching out his back. They'd pushed themselves to their limits for the win.

Everyone's attention spun to Josh. He was the one who had been waiting at the line, and his eyes finally focused back in after viewing the stills of the finale. "All right, I've got the result. It was insanely close, as I'm sure you were all aware. I had to replay the footage frame by frame to get a winner."

"Damn…" came the whisper from Katie, a sentiment the others could agree with. It had been an epic race. The whole crowd were awaiting the result eagerly.

"So, the winner was…" Josh got a few glares for the dramatic pause, including the three RK androids. "Markus!"

Markus raised both his arms triumphantly as Richard turned away in disgust, while Connor let out a long sigh. The crowd roared in celebration as North and Simon whooped in delight. Hank and Katie shared a look knowing the worst bit was yet to come. As much as all the androids wanted to win, the one thing all three of them were adamant about was to not _lose_.

Josh turned his attention to Connor and Richard. "And, the person who came second was…" An apologetic smile aimed at the RK800 had his heart sinking. "Sorry, Connor."

Richard began smirking as Connor groaned, arms falling to his sides in defeat as he looked upwards again. He knew the RK900 was never going to let this go. "I don't think anyone is truly shocked at you losing to me, Connor," Richard teased.

Connor gave him an unimpressed stare. "You still lost to Markus, Richard."

"So long as I bested you, my predecessor, I can live with the rest," he sneered before moving away.

Giving another groan, Connor saw Markus come to a stop next to him. "Hard luck, Connor. Had it been any further, you would have caught me, Josh has just shown me how close it was," Markus consoled.

"Don't pretend that you aren't enjoying every second of this, Markus," Connor huffed, though there was no malice to his words.

Markus grinned and clapped Connor's shoulder. "So…how does it feel to lose?" he asked mischievously. "Failure isn't something I'm that acquainted with, unlike you," he finished with a wink.

Connor glared at Markus while shoving him playfully. "Really, you're bringing that up again?" Markus just laughed.

"Hey, there is one plus to all of this that I bet will cheer you up." Connor looked at him coolly. "I only won because Richard took you out. Had he not done that, you would have easily caught and passed both of us."

"And that's a plus because…?"

"Because it meant that Richard was _never_ winning."

That did bring a smile to Connor's face. "You're right, that _does_ make me feel a little better."

"I thought it might; for all his bragging, he was always destined to be second-best. Just point that out to him next time he's being an ass."

"Markus, I may as well just write it on a piece of paper and tape the written side towards his face for how often I'd have to point _that_ out." Markus laughed again, to which Connor joined in this time. "I still can't believe I lost to both of you."

"Well, North and Simon did their best to take me out – it looks like Hank was just that little bit better at slowing you down. So…in a way, I guess it's _his_ fault you lost?"

Connor turned to stare at his adoptive father, who winced apologetically. He could tell Hank did feel a little bad, but that didn't mean he was off the hook. Far from it.

"…You know what, I don't think I'll need a second invitation for some payback."


	28. The Devil Is In The Detail

Well, that chapter was a popular one! Though I'm not surprised that a few of you weren't happy that Connor didn't win. Sorry, but Richard was always going to make sure that Connor stayed behind him, even if he had to resort to some dirty tactics. But don't worry, Connor is going to get some payback on Hank in return. Not right away, but he _**will**_ get some revenge.

And now for some fun. I swear if androids turn out to have such a fascination for pranks as they do in this series, the world is going to burn. They won't take over because they deem humans dangerous, it's because the world will be too busy continually one-upping each other that nothing will get done.

By the way, there's a little hint of my personal headcanon for Gavin in this chapter. Not much, but it links back to _**Under My Skin**_ , where you can learn the rest later.

Special thanks for reviews: **lordvaatithewindmage, MugetsuPipefox, xNarielx, HK800, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, AnUnorthodoxDecision** and one **Guest**.

* * *

Something was up with Connor.

Hank often found himself wondering such a thing, his son could be somewhat of an enigma when he wanted to be. While Connor was normally open and honest (if somewhat of a sassy shit while he was at it), he was good at keeping to himself if something was on his mind and he wasn't ready to share it. Hank could only imagine the mental issues that came with suddenly facing the full force of emotion. As a general rule, Connor handled it well, even if he sometimes went quiet in accepting whatever he was feeling.

This wasn't that. Connor had been acting off all morning: he was…insular and aloof. That was completely unlike him.

It wasn't as if Hank was the only one who had noticed. Funnily enough, the other one who had pointedly realised Connor was out of sorts was Gavin. Ironic when it come about because one of Gavin's usual insults got a cutting response. That had raised an eyebrow seeing as the two of them were actually getting on better nowadays.

He'd maybe ask Katie when she came in for the evening shift in a couple of hours, seeing as she and Gavin were actually on different stints today. The female android could interface with Connor to find out what was wrong if he wasn't willing to be vocal about it.

They were now three hours into their own shift and Hank was beginning to have enough of it. Connor was being abrupt with many of their colleagues to the point of almost being rude, and it was causing a slight tension. He strode over to his son's desk and firmly planted a hand down on it. The android looked at him in mild surprise, but his face remained serious. Hank was so used to Connor having a little smirk nowadays that he _knew_ something was wrong. "Observation Room 2, now," the lieutenant barked lowly, making sure no-one else got too nosy.

Connor raised an eyebrow, but Hank could see him stand and follow to the rooms at the back of the floor. Now they could have some privacy.

Raising his hand to open the room, Hank waited until Connor was inside before closing the door behind him and locking it. It would only last ten minutes, but that would be plenty time. "What the fuck is up with you today?" Hank demanded, crossing his arms while staring Connor down.

Giving a steady gaze of his own, Connor leant back against the far wall while crossing his own arms. "Whatever gave you the impression there is something on my mind?" he answered blandly, which just got Hank's blood pressure boiling. As much as he called Connor a little shit, he'd never quite thought of it in such a venomous way before.

"Cut the crap, Connor. You're being an ass, and I want to know why," Hank snapped back.

"I hardly think that I am behaving that out of character, Lieutenant."

Hank recoiled at that "'Lieutenant'? You don't call me that unless you're pissed at something or you're-"

Another thought jumped into Hank's head and slammed into him with such force that it almost stole the breath from his lungs.

 _No, it couldn't be…_

But it made sense. The posture, mannerisms, speech…it was all different. He could have cursed himself for being a fool and not seeing it sooner. Hank didn't come into work with Connor this morning, his son had been at the Jericho apartments overnight to help Markus and co. with a project. He hadn't seen him since the previous night. Which left an almost sinister possibility.

This _**wasn't**_ Connor.

Hank swiftly drew his gun and pointed it at the android masquerading as his son. "Game's up, you bastard," he hissed angrily. "Where's Connor?"

Much to Hank's surprise, the android smirked and chuckled. "Not bad, Lieutenant. Looks like Connor has won that section of our little bet."

Looking over in confusion, Hank paused for a second. "Wait, what? Bet? What the hell-" And then Hank realised that there was only one person who a) was similar enough to act like a slightly more menacing version of Connor, and b) would _actually_ be twisted enough to try. "Holy fuck, _Richard?_ "

The smirk grew. "Impressive, Lieutenant. I didn't think you'd work out my identity quite that fast, even after realising I wasn't Connor. I assumed that you would presume me to be another RK800 masquerading as him."

Now satisfied that he knew just whohe was with, Hank stowed his gun again. "Not gonna lie, it's only cause I know how much of a dick you are." Richard chuckled again. "But still, what the hell is this? How are you- Wait, did you and Connor change _bodies_?"

"Correct. We devised this plan some time ago, and now that we know the success of the wireless backup system, a method of transferring our consciousnesses between bodies became available to-"

Hank rolled his eyes. "In fucking English, Richard. God, I don't miss Connor speaking in technobabble."

Richard stared at him, unimpressed. "We uploaded our minds to the backup system, then were downloaded back into the opposite bodies. Safe to say, it is somewhat of an adjustment."

Suddenly uncomfortable, Hank gave Richard a look. "Hang on, does that mean you have access to Connor's memories and all that?"

"Not at all: Connor and I encrypted all the data we were uncomfortable sharing, on both sides. Most of his is with regard to his personal relationships, while mine is due to my work. Anything we believed necessary to maintain our illusions was left available."

Hank smiled nastily. "Hate to break it to you, Richard, but you suck at acting like Connor. Guess you can take the asshole out of the body, but the shit attitude still hangs around like a bad smell." The LED on the side of Richard's head flashed red several times, causing Hank to bark in laughter. "Ouch, did I hit a sore spot? Didn't take you for such a pansy."

"To quote yourself and several of your colleagues, fuck off."

The human roared in amusement, and despite his mild annoyance, Richard did join in briefly. "Okay, so I know _how_ you're in Connor's body; doesn't explain the _why_ though."

Richard's smirk reappeared. "A little experiment you might say. Connor and I are intrigued by how long it will take our colleagues to notice something is awry. I must say I am disappointed, Perkins' paranoia surrounding androids seems to have not led him to the correct conclusion."

That had Hank smiling. "You're telling me Connor volunteered to stick himself with Perkins for the day? Why the hell would he do that?"

"You will find out later today, Lieutenant – he has yet another appointment with the Captain after all."

"…You think I'd get away with breaking the fucker's nose again?"

"I would not normally encourage violence…but I am willing to disable all recording equipment for a time."

"…Damn, you're actually being decent for a change."

Richard chuckled. "Don't get used to it, Lieutenant. I have an image to maintain after all."

* * *

Now that he knew what was going on, Hank had swiftly texted Connor (aka, using Richard's number since the two of them had swapped bodies…to be honest, it had gone well over Hank's head, but the responses he was getting sounded too much like his son for Richard to be faking it). Connor's answers had been intense amusement at knowing he'd correctly guessed that Hank would know something was wrong very quickly _,_ and then excitement for what was to come later that day.

Apparently, their little experiment and bet was something on the side for the main attraction…Richard had drafted Connor in to freak Perkins out when the man discovered that he'd been with a totally different android for the whole day. It seemed that even the stoic, serious, asshat of an android got tired of Perkins' bullshit after enough time, and Hank would be the first to admit that he was looking forward to Perkins' reaction. The man continued to hate androids, so this was bound to cause him a lot of distress.

It almost sounded more appealing than punching the man…almost, but not quite.

And knowing Connor, his son was not going to be able to resist catching Perkins out while he was at it.

Hank had subtly passed the news along the android crimes division that while it may look like Connor, it was actually Katie's brother that was with them for the day. That had gathered a few stunned faces, but eventually it won out to intrigue. No-one had really gotten the chance to speak with Richard the last time he was in the precinct due to Katie rapidly ushering him out, and a few braver souls (Chris among them) decided to try speaking to him. It seemed that Richard liked a few of them by the subtle smiles that were creeping out.

…Huh, he was seeing a lot of different sides to the android today. Maybe Connor wasn't just being polite when he said that Richard could be decent company after all (even if he was still a condescending asshole).

"Can we talk?"

The new voice brought Hank out of his musings, and his eyebrows almost hit his hairline at seeing who had just approached Richard and Chris. Well now...was this Gavin thinking he was about to square up to Connor, or had someone let him in on the secret? Nah, he didn't think Gavin would be brave enough to tackle Katie's brother quite yet. Hank still vividly remembered Gavin's expression from the last time they crossed paths as per the photo hanging up on their living room wall. It brought him glee thinking about it, even if Gavin was more tolerable that he had been in-

Hank sat back and sighed. Now that he'd dug his own head out of his ass, he couldn't really blame Gavin for how he'd acted. While Hank had internalised his own grief, Gavin had externalised it. It didn't excuse him for being a colossal ass…but Hank could understand better than he wanted to admit.

Richard left with Gavin as Chris wandered over sit next to the older man. "Well, Richard's an interesting character," he said while watching the other two head to the break room.

Scoffing, Hank gave Chris a look. "I think the term you are looking for is 'fucking asshole', Chris." The younger man laughed while shaking his head. "Seriously, you didn't get that impression?"

"Partially, but I honestly think Richard puts a lot of it on. Katie speaks very fondly of him, and seeing as she doesn't take any shit from anyone, I'd think she would say if she thought otherwise."

"Hmmm, maybe. Still doesn't mean I have to give him the time of day if he's being a twat." Chris smiled, but the two of them were surprised by the appearance of a familiar female figure. Well, familiar as she could be when she was now sporting hair of three shades: light blue, dark blue and purple. Where did she come up with these colours anyway?

"Where is he and how many people has he pissed off?" she asked, exasperated.

"Hello to you too, Katie," Hank chuckled, Chris joining in. "Not that many, actually, he's been sitting here somehow managing to keep up with Connor's work. I can only guess that Connor actually told him enough to maintain the pretence."

Katie sighed and sat down in Connor's chair, leaning her head in the hand which rested on his desk. "I can't believe these two thought this was a good idea…I honestly thought they had a bit more sense!"

Chris laughed. "Connor's a bit of a daredevil, I'm willing to bet he was keen for this. Plus, the Lieutenant and I are adamant that Connor is going to prank Perkins as payback."

Now that had Katie's interest. "Really? Well, if he does, I hope he doesn't get Richard in trouble for it. Nothing against Connor, but that is not the sort of headache Richard needs in the FBI." It was now that Katie noticed that her partner was nowhere to be seen, and when she made a quick scan of the floor, she couldn't believe what she found. "No way… There's no way Gavin is speaking with him right now."

"Gavin doesn't know it's Richard, Katie. I'm pretty sure he just thinks Connor is having an off day," Hank added.

"Nope, Gavin knows. He unintentionally called it an hour ago."

Both Hank and Chris looked at her in shock. "The fuck? Are you kidding?" Katie pulled out her phone, she still carried it with her out of habit now, and brought up the conversation she and Gavin had via message.

 _ **You know whats crawled up Connors ass today?**_

 _Nothing, so far as I'm aware. Why?_

 _ **Hes just being an ass. Connor is a sarcastic bitch but not a shithead.**_

 _I am honestly surprised that you are caring, Gavin._

 _ **Hey im making an effort Katie. I did say I would. Whatever hes just reminding me a lot of your asshole of a brother today.**_

 _Um, well…_

 _ **Well what?**_

 _You're actually pretty damn close to the truth there, Gavin._

…

 _Connor and Richard have swapped bodies._

 _ **THE FUCK! NO WONDER HE WAS BEING SUCH A CUNT!**_

 _GAVIN!_

 _ **WHAT?! Sorry Katie but you know that your brother is an asshole of the highest order.**_

 _He is to you cause he doesn't like you._

 _ **Awww doesnt like that im getting too close to his sister huh?**_

 _If he knew just how close we were, he'd be a lot less enamoured with you._

 _ **Making me feel so loved.**_

 _That's what I'm here for!_

"No fucking way Gavin called it before any of us did!" Hank bellowed while handing the phone back over. He decided calling Katie out on the last portion of the conversation would _not_ land him her good books. Not that it really told him much, a few people were adamant the pair were a thing now, even if Connor assured him that they hadn't actually got around fessing up to each other yet.

Seriously, how long were they going to dance around it?

Katie smiled at them. "Hate to break it to you guys, but he did, though granted it wasn't on purpose like you, Lieutenant. Still, makes me wonder _why_ Gavin is talking to him considering he knows…"

"Is that why you're here so early, Katie?" Chris wondered.

"Yeah, I wanted to make sure Rich didn't land Connor in a lot of trouble unintentionally by being an ass. He might be brilliant and creative, but his social skills are a little backward."

The other two laughed at that, and while they stared at the seemingly serious, but controlled, conversation in the break room, another silhouette passed in front of it which had them all snapping to attention. "Well, well, looks like someone's decided to pay a visit," Hank smirked, waiting eagerly for Perkins to follow behind Richard's (ie. Connor's) form.

Except the android knocked on Fowler's office and went in without waiting.

"Okay, that's…odd," Ben said from his own desk, and the others couldn't help but agree. They couldn't see any reason for Connor to have come ahead of Perkins.

Unless…

 _Oh boy, what have you done, Connor?_

A few minutes later, the android emerged in a perfect imitation of Richard's severe demeanour and headed towards the small gathering around Hank and Connor's desks. "Afternoon," he greeted stoically.

Hank elbowed him. "Cut the act, Connor, we all know it's you."

Sure enough, the familiar smirk appeared a second later. "How many people are aware?" he asked, though hearing the slightly snarky tone in Richard's voice was more than a little odd.

"Just the android crimes division, Katie and Gavin so far as we can tell," Chris informed him, still smiling.

Connor raised an eyebrow in the direction of Katie. "Gavin knows?"

She nodded towards the break room. "That isn't the weirdest bit," she told him, snickering as even Connor did a double take at the duo of Gavin and Richard still speaking in, what they could tell was, amiable conversation.

"He's feeling brave," Connor noted while giving Katie a pointed look. She simply shrugged and winked back at him, to which Connor snorted.

"Okay, so how come you're here without that weasel Perkins?" Hank asked.

Connor's smirk grew even more, and there was an unmistakeable twinkle in his (Richard's, technically), eye. "Let's wait until the other two return from their conversation, shall we? Richard is going to have to deal with the aftermath after all."

"Oh god, what have you done, Connor?" Katie giggled. Connor just winked at her.

They only had to wait another ten minutes before Richard and Gavin joined them, the other RK coming to a stop next to Connor while Gavin stood next to Katie, who was still lounged in Connor's chair. She gave him a curious stare, but Gavin only shook his head in reply. Hank could read that body language anywhere: Gavin wasn't willing to talk with so many others around.

Hank would be the first to admit that seeing Connor's normally friendly demeanour showing through in the taller android's body while Richard's own more severe one came out through Connor's body was a complete mind fuck. He'd have to ask them never to do this again, it was creepy as hell.

"So, how did your day go?" Connor asked with a slight smile.

Richard sighed tiredly. "Mildly irritating: your colleagues were rather adept at spying something was out of place."

"Or it could just be that you're completely shit at acting like Connor," Gavin pointed out, earning a narrow glare in response. Katie elbowed Gavin gently, but the smile on her face gave away that she was amused. Gavin winked in reply to her, causing Richard's stare to grow a shade colder.

"Well, Reed ain't wrong," Hank added. "Don't take up a career in acting, Richard. It ain't your forte."

As the others snickered, Richard turned his gaze back to Connor. "And how about yourself, Connor?" he asked.

Connor's smile was rather smug. "Highly successful, you could say. Agent Perkins had absolutely zero inclination as to why 'you' were in a, and I quote, 'too sassy for my taste' mood." The rest howled in laughter as Richard groaned. "It was quite rewarding."

"And he did not suspect anything?"

"No, he was adamant that you were simply in a different state of mind."

"Well he ain't too wrong there," Chris noted.

"So, that brings us back to the question of the hour. Where is that shit?" Hank wondered.

Connor chuckled. "I had the honour of informing the Captain that Special Agent Perkins will not be able to make his appointment this afternoon as he is…en route to a different state."

Katie swallowed back a laugh at the mild look of horror on Richard's face. "Connor, what the hell did you do?"

The android shrugged innocently. "It is not my fault that I was out doing some reconnaissance work when Perkins decided to take a taxi to meet me…a taxi which has malfunctioned and in now heading towards Ohio."

Everyone doubled over laughing bar Richard, but even the normally stoic android had a definite hint of glee on his face. "Holy _fuck_ , Connor. Damn, I wish I could hear all the swearing he'll be doing as that meter racks up and he gets further and further away. How the hell did you manage _that_?" Hank wheezed.

Connor winked at him. "Now that would be telling, Hank. I may use this trick again, after all."

While the others continued laughing, Hank gulped. There was no mistaking that threat.

 _Oh fuck, I don't want to know what he's got planned._

"So, before we go back to our own lives, I believe there is the small issue of settling our little bet," Connor gloated, earning a stare back from Richard.

"Oh yeah! Rich bet that Perkins would work out something was up before anyone from the DPD did," Katie grinned. "Did you two ever agree on what the forfeit would be?"

"Sadly not," Richard groused.

As it so happened, Connor had a solution in mind. "Well, why don't you have the honour of fetching Perkins? I'm sure he'd be _delighted_ to see you managed to fix the error in the taxi after investigating the cause."

Richard glared in response. "You little shit…"

"Not like you to lose your cool," Connor smirked, enjoying every second of having one-upped the other android. After losing the race in part due Richard's underhanded tactics, it was great revenge. "Shall we?"

A few minutes later saw the pair back in their own bodies, though Richard pointedly took off without another word. Connor returned to the bullpen with a triumphant smile still in place. "Well, that was fun," he stated, earning a few laughs in reply. He then turned his focus to Gavin, who raised an eyebrow back at him. "No offence intended here, Gavin, but how did you realise that it wasn't me, first?"

Gavin shrugged. "You're a sassy bitch, not an out and out dick. When he called me a 'venomous, self-absorbed prick', it was a bit odd."

"Meow," Katie winced, wondering even more what the pair of them said now.

"Yeouch, he wasn't holding back," Hank stated while he chuckled. Gavin gave a dismissive shrug and wandered away, Katie following with him after giving Connor a quick hug. Once the bullpen got back to a sense of normality, with Connor now back at his desk and a contented smile, Hank shouted out to him. "You seem happy with how today went."

Connor's smile grew. "Indeed I am. Perkins got some payback for his less that appealing attitude, Richard now has the dubious joy of retrieving him and explaining what happened, and I got to see how easy it was for all of you to realise something was amiss." Connor's expression turned fond as he looked Hank in that eye, having gone through his memories of that morning. "Pulling your gun on him was a bold move after one wrong statement on his part."

Hank shrugged. "I knew it wasn't you, and I wasn't in the mood to mess around. I just wanted to know you were safe."

"I appreciate it, Dad."

"For fuck's sake, Connor, don't get all sappy on my ass." Connor chuckled and went back to working, but Hank wasn't done. "I get the feeling you enjoyed getting the best of Richard today."

Smile turning slightly nasty, Connor kept his eyes on the screen. "It was gratifying for sure, but I'm not done. After all…" He finally looked back up at Hank. "Richard's dirty play wasn't the _only_ reason I lost the race between the RKs."

And _now_ Hank was nervous. "Hey, come on, son…I wasn't the only one who pulled a prank!"

"Granted, but I lost severely more time that either Richard or Markus. And I do _not_ like to lose unfairly."

Hank swallowed, not liking the twinkle in Connor's eye.

 _I'm so fucked._


	29. Do You Hear What I Hear?

Well, I think it's safe to say that everyone liked seeing Perkins get some comeuppance, as well as seeing Connor get the best of Richard. I get the feeling our RK900 is not the most popular of fellows…

I see a few of you picked up on different details of that chapter, and they are all part of a developing storyline. You'll find out more about that later!

Special thanks for reviews: **xNarielx, lordvaatithewindmage, AnUnorthodoxDecision, MugetsuPipefox, HK800** and one **Guest.**

A few of you have suggested this idea, so I hope you like the execution! Time for some payback.

* * *

"North, if this some elaborate prank that you're pulling, I'm going to find a way to convince Connor to stick you in a freezer until your joints lock up."

Hank could hear the female android cackling down the phone as he drove to the Jericho apartments, following a request for him to join the others down there. _"I swear it's not!"_ she laughed on the other end. _"This is genuinely one of the funniest things I've ever seen, there's no way you_ _ **can't**_ _come down and see it too!"_

The continual snickering was slowly convincing Hank that her wild story might actually have some truth to it. "You're telling me that while you guys were doing some maintenance work on the elevator that Markus managed to get stuck and had to detach his arm to break free…and is now stuck in the top of the lift itself after falling six stories and busting half through the roof?"

" _I'm not shitting you, Hank! I am_ _ **dying**_ _with laughter. He can't pull himself out with only one arm and his legs are fucking flailing around as he tries to dislodge himself! This is genuinely one of the best things I've seen, even Connor all but fell over laughing when he saw it!"_

Still not buying it, Hank eyed his phone suspiciously from where it was clipped into the hands-free in the car. "I'm not believing shit until one of either you or Connor sends me a photo of this. There's no way Markus was a) that clumsy, or b) hasn't managed to convince _someone_ to help him get out."

Hank heard her sigh on the other end and saw the new message on his phone. He clicked over to see the picture attached…and had to pull over the car so that he wouldn't be in danger of crashing into anyone else on the road. Sure enough, there was a photo of what was clearly Markus' legs, only they were coming down from the busted roof of the elevator. Jagged and twisted metal around the android's abdomen confirmed the speed of his crash and Hank could swear that some of it was impaled in him.

Obviously he wasn't in any danger if North was finding this so funny. "Holy _shit!_ That's unreal!" Hank howled, gripping his side as he was short of breath from laughing so much. "How the fuck has no-one pulled the poor bastard out to make sure he's not hurt?"

" _Connor scanned him and confirmed that Markus only has some superficial damage to his chassis, none of the shards have gone in deep enough to cause him any real harm. All it means is that he's well and truly stuck."_

"Damn, I'm feeling sorry for him. That has to be embarrassing!"

"… _Well, he's not embarrassed so much as pissed. I think he might kill Connor when he gets a hold of him."_

Hank couldn't decide if he wanted to chuckle or sigh in irritation, so the result was an amused half-snort. "The fuck did he do now?"

" _Connor was the one holding on to Markus when he detached his arm and was meant to pull him up…and the one who let him go instead."_

The lieutenant could see the apartments come into view as he prepared to park up. "Christ, Connor's merciless when he wants to be. Did he say if he knew what was going to happen?"

" _I have the feeling Connor rigged the hatch to slam on Markus' arm in the first place. He's been conspicuously absent recently_ _."_

After picking a spot, Hank jumped out of the car and locked it before heading to the apartments. A few of the androids gave him a friendly wave on the way past and Hank gave them an acknowledging nod with a small smile. He was one of the few humans who were readily welcomed by the androids, and the validation was rewarding. "Safe bet that he knew Markus was gonna end up stuck then. I wonder why he's not answering my messages…"

" _Maybe he's hooked up with someone? Doubt he'd answer you if he's getting some action."_

Hank groaned and pulled the phone away from his ear for a moment. "What is it with that bitch just blurting out the most inappropriate comments?" he muttered quietly before yanking the phone back up. "I thought you said he isn't into relationships?"

" _Hank, I didn't say that he's got a partner. I'm saying he might have got too good an offer to pass up."_

"I'm gonna fuckin' regret asking this, but is that common for all you lot? You just ask if someone's up for a quick fuck?"

" _Meh, it's not common, but it frequent enough to be noticeable. A lot of the androids who aren't in closed relationships mess around with a few people, and even those are few and far between. Androids don't really stick by monogamy so much"_

Hank got into the entryway and looked around for any sign of North, Simon, Josh or Connor since Markus was…indisposed. "Sometimes I think I'm learning way too damn much about androids sex lives through no bloody fault of my own. How is this my life again?"

" _You were stupid enough to adopt one of us, this is the consequence of it."_

"Best stupid idea I've had," he threw back, earning a flustered laugh on the other end.

" _Quit getting sappy old man, I much prefer you when you're being an asshole or a snappy grump."_

"Just cause you enjoy a fight and no-one else can put up with your bitch ass," he snarked, pulling the phone away and putting it on speaker so that he could type out a message to Connor.

 _Where you at kiddo? I'm at the apartments to see Markus' mishap._

"Hey, shithead!"

Hank did an about turn and looked down the corridor at North's shout, but couldn't see the female android anywhere. "Don't do that to me, North," he spat, but the reply from his phone almost made him jump out of his skin.

" _Why? It's way too much damn fun teasing you."_

"Jesus fucking _Christ!_ " Hank exclaimed while trying to calm his racing heart. "Don't fuckin' _do that!_ I keep forgetting that you lot can speak in your heads and verbally at the same time."

" _Well, you coming or what? I thought you wanted to see this."_

"Yeah, yeah, I'm comin'. Cow, making me damn near shit myself…"

"Now that's something I'd pay to see, old man!" came the call from around the left corner, but when Hank looked around it he couldn't see her.

"Dammit, North, stop making me chase after you! Just tell me which elevator I'm going to."

" _The ones on the west side, it's on the fifth floor. You'd better take the second one to get up there."_

"Yeah, yeah…" Hank looked at his phone as he heard the phone chime at the new text from Connor.

 _ **Apologies, Hank, I was preoccupied. I'll be with you shortly.**_

"So, about that elevator…" Hank jumped again as he heard North's voice from around the corner, but as before, she wasn't there. "Turns out that Markus' incident might have disrupted the power to it. Unless you feel up to the stairs, I'd take the southern one."

Hank looked on all sides, but he still couldn't find her. "Christ, North, I don't know where you're getting a kick out making me panic, but it's getting _real_ old."

" _Suck it up, old man. Hurry up already!"_

"I'm moving it, you impatient bitch!" Having had enough of North messing with him, Hank hung up and headed for the southern side of the apartments.

En route there he found Simon speaking with two child models, a boy and girl. Spying the older man, Simon ushered them on with a friendly smile and greeted him warmly. "Hello, Hank. I take it you are here to see Markus' poor fortune?"

Hank clasped Simon's shoulder briefly. "Yep, and I think this is going to be a sight and a half. Your bloody girlfriend is trolling me though, she's somewhere on this floor and I can't fucking see her. She's calling out to me from random corners and she's gone by the time I get there!"

Simon smiled knowingly. "Well, despite her best efforts, North has not learned invisibility. She will be somewhere."

"You got that right."

Hank did jump at the female android's voice, but yet again he couldn't see her. Simon's smile turned smug at seeing Hank get infuriated. "Bitch! Stop trying to take years off my life!" he shouted, looking all around. "Goddammit, how is she _doing_ that?" At seeing Simon's expression, he figured the other android was not going to be of any help. "If I keel over from a heart attack, I'm haunting the pair of you – I'm warning you now. Don't suppose you've seen Connor, have you?"

"Your threat is noted, Hank," Simon chuckled. "I'm sure he's nearby, he won't be wanting to miss seeing Markus' efforts to escape."

That caused the human to laugh. "So Connor _did_ set him up."

"…Yes, but he was only the executor, not the mastermind."

Surprised, Hank pulled back. "Wait, what? Who came up with this then?" Simon smiled sweetly, to which Hank groaned. "Great, the last thing I need is you lot practicing on each other, you're going to give Connor even more bloody ideas!" As the android chuckled, Hank sighed. "Whatever. If you see Connor, can you send him my way?"

"Of course, Hank." The lieutenant left with a passing wave, to which Simon smirked and looked up, locking eyes with the android in the beams above. "I get the feeling I'm not really going to have to do much for you to follow him, am I?"

Connor winked down from where he was crouching in the rafters. "Whatever gave you that impression, Simon? You are very adept at bending your statements so that you don't lie. Hank wasn't the least bit suspicious."

Simon shrugged while smiling. "Why do you think North normally has me mislead Markus into his many misadventures? Dare I ask what you have planned for the lieutenant before I leave?"

"Now that would be telling," the android replied in a perfect replica of North's voice.

* * *

Hank made it to the elevator without any further incident, and just as he was entering it, he got a phone call from North again. "Would you cut it out with the weird calling and scaring the crap out of me act, North? This is getting old!" he snapped down the handset.

" _Why? It's fun,"_ she replied in a sing-song voice. " _And just in case old age has addled your brain, it's the fifth floor you're headed to."_

"Pipe down with that," he growled. "Anyone seen Connor yet?"

" _I ain't seen him. I told you, he'll be busy."_

"North, I do _not_ need that thought about my own damn son! Fuckin' hell," Hank grumbled as the doors shut and the lift started moving upwards. "Tell you what, why don't we just agree that you _don't_ tell me about any android antics from now on, including your own?"

" _Nah, that's no fun. Making you squirm is one of my highlights."_

"Piss off," Hank grumbled, yelping when the lift suddenly came to a screeching halt. The lights went off briefly, only to come back in a much dimmer, light blue colour. Looking around in confusion, Hank groaned when he realised what had happened. "You've got to be joking me…" Reaching for the phone which had been thrown from his grip when the elevator juddered, Hank saw it was still connected to North. "I'm just gonna ask one question, North. Was that you?"

" _Was what me?"_

That was _**way**_ too innocent a tone. "Don't play dumb with me, North! I'm really not in the fuckin' mood after the rest of your antics! Start the lift up again!"

" _Hank, since when would I intentionally stick you in a lift? That's not really my idea of fun."_

"Then again…hearing your swearing _is_ entertaining."

Jumping at her voice right above him from through the metal, Hank growled as he tried to reach for the emergency exit. "For fuck's sake, North, let me out of here!"

Realising she'd spoken on the phone again rather than from the hatch, Hank was tempted to ignore her but punched the speaker on as he slipped it in his pocket. _"I would if I was doing it, asshole."_

"North, I can fucking hear you above me! Let. Me. _Out!_ "

Her laughter was annoying him, but the next statement caught him off-guard. " _Oh boy, you can be real dim for a detective sometimes. I'm not an android who is built for stealth, genius! Do you really think I could sneak around the whole of the first floor without someone else spying me, saying hello and giving me away?"_

Hank paused, thinking over what she'd said. "Then what the fuck has been happening? And who's above me?"

" _I warned you that Connor wouldn't reply if he was busy, numbskull."_

Stunned, Hank reached up and finally managed to open the emergency hatch, only to come across the smiling face of his son. "Hi, old man," he greeted in a perfect mimicry of North."

Growling, Hank glared at him. "Connor…the fuck are you playing at?!"

Giving a familiar smirk, Connor was unapologetic. "I believe that I owed you payback for your making me lose the race, Hank. You will find a tablet, some water and some snacks in one of the side panels, as well as a cushion. I would get comfy."

Hank's rage melted to shock. "Hold up, you're just _leaving me in here?!"_

"Correct."

Groaning at the thought, Hank tried to persuade him out of it. "Look, Connor, I didn't think I'd be screwing you over that bad! Besides, this is nowhere near the same level! You've already made me all but jump of my skin I don't know how many times already imitating North. Just…let me out, all right? I can't spend all day in here when I'm meant to be back at the precinct in an hour, you're the only one with a day off!"

It seemed like Connor was contemplating his argument. "Sorry, Hank, but this is out of my hands now."

"Goddammit, Connor! Come on you ass, lemme out!"

"You misunderstand me. I cannot override the door controls due to the security measures in place. After a hacking attempt against any of the electronics in the building, only one of Markus, North, Simon or Josh can override it. Josh is out helping set up a new community centre downtown, and Simon informed me that he will be going to investigate reports of a small android group which are living in slum conditions. That leaves only North and Markus to aid you. I think we can agree that North will happily leave you to suffer for a long time…which leaves you only with Markus."

"Connor, please tell me that Markus isn't actually stuck in the roof of a lift and my only hope is the bitch."

" _I can still hear you, you know, old man."_ Hank looked down at his phone in shock. " _And no, we pulled that stunt on him last week. He's actually upstairs in our rooms, trying to figure out which of 2368 keys fit the three locks Simon and I chained to his wrist and ankles. I must admit, I didn't think it would take him more than eleven hours to get out."_

"North, he has to figure out how to unlock his other wrist before he can even attempt his ankles," Connor pointed out. "That means he will have to almost certainly go through the full set once before reattempting them all again."

" _Shit, yeah, didn't think of that. Hmmm, might go up and distract him-"_

Not needing to hear any more, Hank quickly hung up and glared at Connor. "This is hardly fair, Connor. How bloody long am I going to be stuck in here?!"

Connor smiled sympathetically. "Some time I suspect, hence why I made sure to leave you some entertainment, comfort and refreshments. I would suggest informing the Captain that you may be held up for some time."

As the android vanished from view, Hank shouted up to him. "Connor! Hey, Connor! _**Connor!"**_

It was no use, the android was gone, having scaled up the side of the shaft to the open doors from the floor above. _"Shit!_ "

Resigning himself to a long wait, Hank looked for the loose panel and found the aforementioned items. He also found his music player and headphones, to which Hank stared in surprise: he'd left them locked in his car. "How in the hell did that kid manage to get into the car and sneak these in here if he was trolling me in the corridor? I know he's fast but, jeez, that's unreal." Sighing, Hank grabbed the cushion and sat down on it. At least Connor had picked one which had a lot of padding. "Great, just great…I hope I don't get stuck in here that long…"

* * *

As it so happened, it was almost three hours that Hank was stuck in the lift. Still pissed at Connor for starting the prank in the first place, Hank kept spam messaging him for a while. Connor was receptive for just over an hour, but then went suspiciously silent. It was enough to add a little concern to Hank's mind, but Connor did finally send him a message that he would be unreachable for a time.

Shuddering as he recalled what North said before, Hank decided he really didn't want to know.

He instead groaned at getting a message from Ben – Connor had sent them an image of him stuck in the lift, which was giving everyone at the DPD endless amusement. No doubt they'd worked out the real reason despite Hank's message to Fowler that he's been trapped due to a power outage at the Jericho apartments which had jammed him in.

 _I'm gonna kill that kid for this_.

Finally, Hank could feel the lift get back into motion and glowered at the duo which greeted him at the doors when he reached the fifth floor. North was grinning from ear-to-ear, looking entirely too pleased while Markus was rather flustered. "I apologise for the hold-up, Hank. I have been…indisposed," Markus explained, shooting a glare at his lover. She just smirked and winked.

"Yeah, I learned way more than I cared to about why," Hank grumbled back, ignoring North's pleased grin. "Thanks for letting me out. Do you know where Connor went?"

"He is waiting for you at the car."

"Great, thanks. I'm surprised he stuck around to be honest."

North's tone was far too happy and smug for Hank's liking. "He can find ways to keep himself amused here," was all she said, earning a scowl from the human as he marched on. Neither of them were offended by the lack of farewell.

Hank had gone beyond their hearing by the point that Markus turned to North with an unimpressed look. "Was all this really necessary?" he sighed.

The female android shrugged. "Don't look at me, chaining you up wasn't my idea, it was his. Besides, this whole situation is your fault anyway." She followed Hank's disappearing figure as he headed toward another elevator. "You think Connor's gonna tell him?"

"I doubt it. Connor likes to keep certain things private, and I sincerely doubt Hank would wish to know anyway."

Unaware of the conversation between the two androids, Hank emerged from the apartments to see Connor standing by the car with a paper bag. Now extremely wary, Hank was almost reluctant to open it, but the smell was a welcome and familiar one. "Wow, you must be feeling bad if you bought me something from Chicken Feed," Hank noted, eagerly diving into the offered burger.

Connor smiled apologetically. "I will admit that you were left in there far longer than I anticipated. It turned out that things with Markus went a little wrong."

Hank gave him a look. "Oh?"

"The chains had to be snapped in the end after one of the keys broke in the lock."

Despite his dark mood, that had Hank chuckling. "Hah, there you go. I'll bet North's face was a picture. Speaking of pictures, why did you have to send a photo of me to Ben of all people?"

"It wasn't just Ben I sent it to. Chris and Katie also received copies, and I am sure they were quick enough in spreading them around. It's not as if you won't be seeing it soon anyway."

He sighed at the realisation that his grumpy mug was about to make an appearance on their prank wall. "At least tell me that there's a better photo of Markus trapped in the roof of the lift somewhere? I really wanted to see that."

North had been telling the truth in the end. Markus' face was a picture. Didn't quite make up for his unfortunate afternoon…but Hank would take it.

Having seen what Connor had been up to with the rest of the androids with regards to pranks, Hank knew he could have done a hell of a lot worse.


	30. Break The Wall

Hey guys!

Lots of you are guessing what Connor is up to. Don't worry you'll find out. It won't show up for a few more chapters, but it won't be a long mystery!

So, these next couple of chapters are going to tie directly into a major arc at the end of _**Under My Skin**_. You don't need to read that story to be able to enjoy these chapters, but just be aware that the events are linked. The tone is markedly different, and you'll see very quickly why that is. There is some major background for my personal headcanons here…including why Hank and Gavin have such an acrimonious relationship, even if it has improved since the revolution.

Special thanks for reviews: **xNarielx, MugetsuPipefox, HK800, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan** and two **Guests.**

* * *

Things in the DPD were incredibly tense, and Hank didn't like it. He hadn't felt something like this since…well, since this time last year, right around the time of the aftermath of the android uprising. Their case with androids turning up dead had ramped up again, and this time it was a much higher body count. Thirty-seven more androids had been found in what appeared to be a mass grave and it had everyone on edge.

Not to mention that their own two androids had vanished – the absence of Connor and Katie was noticeable.

Well, maybe vanished was the wrong word. Fowler had told the DPD that they had temporarily been reassigned until the case was resolved, but Hank had smelled the bullshit a mile away. What had truly got to him though was how he hadn't heard a word from Connor since he'd disappeared overnight two weeks ago.

Were it not for the fact that he could see that Connor's fish were still being fed and little signs like Sumo not begging to be let out whenever Hank came home, he would have been a lot more worried. He knew Connor was safe – he'd just gone dark.

Hank suspected the same wasn't true of his temporary partner knowing about his own android's fate.

Gavin had been snappish and aggressive the whole duration of the pair's absence. Finding out that Fowler had stuck them together for the intervening time was _not_ going to be helping (and the timing couldn't be much worse with the anniversary of _**that**_ having only just passed three weeks ago). The only reason Hank hadn't lost it with the other man was because he was could completely understand Gavin's anger. If Katie was also in the wind without so much as a word, it was going to be messing with his head even more.

At least things were professional out in the field. They'd processed the scene without even one snide comment from Gavin about the scale of their investigation (almost all of homicide and android crimes were working together), but they'd still turned up with no leads. Four more body dumps had been found and linked to the same killer(s) and every new addition was causing more stress.

In the precinct, however, things were frosty. Gavin refused to speak to Hank unless strictly necessary, and even then he just messaged the older man more often than not if he needed something done.

Small mercies though: Gavin's venomous demeanour meant that he was on fire right now when it came to interrogation. They'd managed to at least eliminate a few suspects from what they'd learned.

The major downside was that everyone could feel the hostile atmosphere between the two rolling off in waves – and certain people were at their wits end with it.

Fowler might be the only one who knew _why_ the atmosphere was so foul, but he wasn't going to have it impacting on the rest of the precinct's productivity, since everyone else was doing their utmost to make sure they stayed in the field as much as possible.

So, he recruited some help for a plan.

* * *

Their latest line of enquiry for the case had seen a question being raised as to whether all the androids had become victims due to shared circumstance. Some of the models showing up were more frequent than others, but in a strange capacity. Sixteen of their most recent victims had all shared the same face, even if they were from different lines. As such, Hank and Gavin were down in the evidence lockup looking through the victims' personal effects to see if there was anything to link them – a frequently visited location, support group, employer…

It had been a quiet and tense two hours of work before Hank felt like he had to get out of the room. Working with Connor was easy since the pair traded snarky comments regularly or tossed about ideas for future pranks, or even trips to take when they had the time. Hank knew that Gavin _could_ be a decent human being when he was so inclined…he'd seen a lot more of it since the other detective had begun working with Katie, and even more so since their near miss with the shooting.

This frigid indifference was too damn similar to…to-

 _Shit, it's been 7 years now. Christ. This time of year is a shitty one for both Gavin and I._

Standing up from the table which he'd been at for over an hour now, Hank stretched before calling out to Gavin who was at opposite end of the room, studying a map of where all the victims were known to frequent. "I'm grabbin' a coffee, want something?"

A middle finger back was all the answer Hank got.

 _Well, I tried._

Just as Hank reached the touchpad to scan his way out, he noticed it was lit up red. "Oh for fuck's sake…" Still, Hank tried to access it and got the unpleasant error tone in response. "Stupid piece of shit! Open up!" Hank roared while banging the door.

His shouting caught Gavin's attention, and the other man rolled his eyes at seeing Hank slamming the glass door. "Don't tell me you broke it, Anderson," he snapped.

"Scanner ain't working, look." Hank stepped aside to let Gavin see the red hue to the panel on the wall, to which Gavin scowled. "I didn't touch shit."

Gavin strode over and tried to open the door himself, but was met with the same result. "Fantastic," Gavin cheered sarcastically, "we're stuck in this glass box. Someone has jumped into my most hated scenario and stuck me right in the middle of it. Like fuck do I want to be in this place with you any longer than I have to."

Hank glared in response. "Being with your prick ass is not my idea of fun either, asshole," he growled while pulling out his phone. "I'll get someone to let us out from the other side."

"That's not how that fucking works, Anderson."

"Shut the fuck up, Reed, and get back to it."

Sighing in irritation, Gavin strolled off and went back to the map at the side of the room as Hank pulled out his phone. He quickly selected Ben's number and waited for the other man to pick up.

" _Hank! Had enough of Gavin's bitching for the day?"_ Ben answered way too cheerily for Hank's taste.

"Real funny, Ben, I'd probably take bitching over silence to be honest," Hank snarked in response, to which Gavin glared from the side. "We're stuck in lockup 3, don't suppose you fancy letting us out, do you?"

" _Er, well, I would…but Chris and I are en route to an assault case. Can't do much for you from inside a car!"_

Hank groaned as he ran a hand down his face. "Fine, who else is in the precinct?"

" _Not many I'm afraid, almost everyone's on patrol or grabbing a bite. See what Fowler says?"_

"Oh great, I'm gonna _love_ telling him this one," Hank sighed. "All right, cheers, Ben."

" _Enjoy the icy bastard's company, Hank!"_

"Not fuckin' likely…" As he hung up, Hank hesitated before dialling Fowler. This was not going to brighten his day any.

" _ **If you're phoning for permission to shoot Reed, the answer is no."**_

Hank chuckled at the greeting for a moment. "Nah, too much paperwork involved in that. Jeffrey, Reed and I are stuck in lockup 3, the scanner's bust. You able to send someone down to let us out?"

" _ **Lockup 3, huh? You two made any progress?"**_

"A little, if you can call finding about fifty new potential suspects as forward rather than backwards…" Hank informed him.

" _ **Brilliant, fantastic work,"**_ Fowler grumbled, to which Hank did not appreciate the sarcastic tone. _**"You and Reed speaking yet?"**_

"Hah! Don't be fucking ridiculous, Jeffrey. There's more chance of hell freezing over than that."

"… _ **In that case, I can't help you."**_

"Wha-?! What the fuck does that mean?!"

" _ **It means you two need to actually be adults and talk before I'll let you back up here."**_

"Let us-" And then the penny dropped. "Hold the fucking phone, are you telling me you _deliberately_ stuck Reed and I in here?" Hank shouted.

Gavin head shot around at that. "What?! Oh for fuck's sake, _hell no!"_

"We're in total agreement, Fowler. You've achieved something phenomenal; now, let us the hell out!"

" _ **No can do, Hank. You two have made this place unbearable for way too damn long, and your teams are actually making some headway now that they don't have the blanket of animosity smothering them. Be grown-ups and talk this out, and I'll let you two loose."**_

"I'll just fucking shoot the glass again, Jeffrey, don't push me," Hank growled at him.

"Fuck that, I'll do it!" Gavin decided while pulling out his service weapon.

" _ **You discharge that weapon and I'll have your ass suspended for months, Reed!"**_ The pair jumped at hearing Fowler's voice boom through the intercom system. _**"And don't you get any ideas, Anderson! You know how much it cost to get all that shit repaired last time, and while I was sympathetic then, I am**_ _not_ _ **now. The replacement costs will be coming out of yours' and Connor's pay cheques."**_

"Son of a-"

" _ **I'm watching you both from my office, and all of your colleagues are under strict instruction not to approach any of the lockups until I say so. Now, sort this shit out, that's a damn order!"**_

Fowler left the conversation on that note, and the two men glared first at the intercom, then the door, and then each other before slinking back to their sides of the room to work, pointedly avoiding the elephant in the room.

If they couldn't have the conversation 7 years ago, they sure as hell weren't going to have it now.

* * *

Another hour of silence had taken its toll on Hank, and he was steadily growing aware of his need for a) water, b) food and c) a piss. He knew damn well that Fowler would be watching, just as he said he would, and Gavin's snarling fit not long after learning of their predicament confirmed that the man's attempts to get Tina or Chris to help had been met with the same fate as Hank's own.

He was actually getting flustered enough to contemplate it…

"You heard anything from Katie yet?"

Contrary to Hank's expectations, Gavin actually looked over at the mention of his partner. It was about another ten seconds before he answered though. "Nothing. Connor?"

Well, it was something at least. "Nope, not a peep. Can tell he's at least been home though, so that makes me feel a lot better. Any thoughts on where they might be?"

Gavin just shrugged while looking at the papers in front of him again. "No idea. Dust isn't at her place though, so Katie knew she was going to be gone for a while."

That got Hank's attention. "Hold up, you've been to her apartment and you've got a _key_?"

"What's so strange about that, Anderson?" he snapped back. "Thought you'd appreciate the fact that I actually give enough of a damn."

Hank held up a placating hand at seeing Gavin's challenging glare. "Easy, I was just surprised is all. I know Connor's got a key but I don't think he's ever used it. Makes sense that you do, I'm just…you know." Gavin's expression mellowed slightly to an unimpressed frown. "It's good seeing you get on with your partner, it's been a while."

Gavin scoffed. "Yeah, look how well the last time that happened turned out."

"Come on, Gavin, you know I didn't-"

" _Don't!"_ Gavin snapped, but Hank could immediately hear the underlying pain. "Don't fucking go there, I can't right now."

"Hate to break it to you, but this whole thing is the reason we're stuck in here, so until something shifts, we ain't going anywhere." Gavin glared hard at a corner of the room and Hank could understand not wanting to open up. Letting that stone wall around your heart down to truly feel grief was one of the worst things he'd ever experienced: and he'd only done it because of Connor. Without him, Hank would have stayed in the same spiral of self-loathing and drinking until he finally ended it all.

Gavin's situation was not the same, but it was similar enough to be haunting. The grief, the guilt over what else could have been done…Hank couldn't imagine carrying that for 7 years instead of the just over 3 that he'd spent self-destructing.

And the hatred for androids that had been born out of it.

"Look, Gavin, I think I can maybe understand better than you think I can. I've been through the same grief too."

The broken sob mixed with a scoff made Hank's heart squeeze. "Yeah, same total fucking thing, Anderson. Course I'm gonna pour out my heart to the guy who made sure I wasn't there when I was fucking meant to be."

"Jesus Christ- Gavin, I didn't want to send you away, but you know how it works! It was an insane scene, we were overrun and stretched to the limit. I knew you wanted to be there but I _never_ would have done it if I thought for a second that-"

" _Shut up! Just shut the hell up!"_

Hank did stop at the all but plead from Gavin, seeing the other man heaving in breaths as he desperately fought tears. The raw pain pouring off him was more than Hank had seen since it first happened: back before Gavin fell apart _._

"Look, you want to talk. _Fine!_ Let's talk," Gavin snarled. "Let's talk about how my fucking _partner_ knew what my boyfriend planned to do, and then sent me away to make sure he went through with his suicidal plan! Let's talk about how while everyone was celebrating him saving those two kids and praising how brave he was, _I_ had to live with the fact that he was fucking _gone_! _Let's talk about how the fucking replaceable tin cans wouldn't go do the job they were fucking built for and_ _ **he**_ _died instead cause he was the only one who gave enough of a damn!"_

The sudden silence was suffocating, and Hank could see Gavin shaking.

"So tell me, _Hank_ …" Hank wasn't going to lie, the venom with which Gavin spat his name did hurt a bit. "In what fucking universe do you expect me to forgive you for stopping me from convincing my hero boyfriend not to run into a fucking fire when you _knew_ what was coming that night?!"

 _Shit, so he did know all this time._ _ **Fuck…**_

"Look, Gavin…I fought him, all right? I didn't want let him go do it, but you knew Matt better than I did. He was a firefighter because he had such a big heart and wouldn't ever give up on someone." Hank sighed deeply, letting the guilt seep through into his tone. "Yes, I sent you away because he asked me to – because he didn't want you watching him run back into danger. He was sure that he could save those kids and he did, but when he heard someone else still in the building…"

Gavin was pointedly looking at the floor, away from the other man. "I'm not saying you should forgive me, Gavin, I don't expect you ever could," Hank told him honestly. He hadn't ever forgiven himself, so asking Gavin to was an impossibility. "But what came after it…things have changed."

Grey-green eyes bored right into Hank's own. "What the fuck does _that_ mean?"

"I know you hated androids because they wouldn't go into that building: the risk was too high and CyberLife programmed them not to go if their chance of destruction was above a certain threshold. That's what caused Matt to do it…and you've blamed them since. But everything has changed now, Gavin, I know you believe that."

"The hell are you getting at here, Anderson?"

"I want you to start actually giving a damn about all these androids that are turning up dead! What if that were to happen to Katie? You can't tell me that you'd face this with the same cold attitude if she were lying there!"

Hank could instantly tell that was the wrong thing to say – seeing Gavin's eyes flash from fear, to guilt briefly, and then rage. When Gavin pulled out his gun, Hank just looked away regretfully as the other man shot the glass door apart. Gavin stormed out without looking back, taking off at almost a run.

Staring at the space he had just vacated, Hank sat back down and swore softly. "Damn it. Seven fuckin' years too late to be doing this…I don't know if he can be put back together now." Thinking about the two androids which had suddenly disappeared from their lives and unintentionally forced them into the situation, Hank pulled out his phone and sent Connor a message. He wasn't expecting an answer, but he hoped that Connor at least saw it.

 _Hope you're safe. Really fucking miss you, kiddo._

From within his office above the lockup, Fowler had watched the scene play out with a forlorn expression. Despite his threat, he wasn't going to name Gavin as the guilty party for destruction of property – the captain felt that he held a degree of responsibility for the scenario which had gone so badly wrong. He didn't look up, but it was impossible to miss Gavin all but fleeing from the precinct in the need to get away before falling apart. A few people exchanged glances, including concerned ones between Chris, Ben and Tina for their parts in making sure the confrontation happened rather than going down to stop it.

Sighing long, he brought up a message window on his terminal and sent it before getting back to his work, not missing the instant reply.

 _ **Touch base with home, but no details.**_

 _Understood._

* * *

Hank was exhausted when he got back to the house after the long and emotional day, and he was slightly ashamed to admit that he _really_ wanted a drink. He knew there would be bad moments where the temptation reared its ugly head again, but he had hoped to hold it together a little better while Connor was gone.

Sumo barked from his spot in the kitchen, and Hank spied the boxes of Chinese carry out on the table, along with a note. Striding in quickly, Hank picked up the paper and read the writing, smiling at recognising the new script that Connor had been working on for a while.

 _ **Enjoy your meal, Hank.**_

"Really wish I could see you rather than just know you've been back, kid," Hank lamented. "You have no idea how much I'm missing your sass."

Curious as to what Connor had gotten him, Hank opened the box which had been left on the table…

And got a swift mouthful of confetti and glitter from the small cannon which had been rigged inside.

Spluttering, Hank coughed and glared at the box. "Fucking hell, Connor! Can't you just let me enjoy some unhealthy shit in peace…?" He looked inside to see another note, which Hank grabbed with a snarl. His face softened when he read the contents.

 _ **Fowler told me to get in touch, I'm guessing something serious happened today.**_

 _ **I'm sorry for vanishing, Hank, but it wasn't my choice.**_

 _ **All I can tell you is that I am safe, and will remain so. I hope to be reunited with you soon.**_

 _ **Maybe we can look at another road trip or just take some time off together?**_

 _ **I miss you as well.**_

 _ **Be safe, Dad.**_

 _ **PS. There is Chinese in the microwave. Enjoy.**_

"Dammit, Connor, stop making my old ass go all sappy…"

Hank looked inside the microwave to see what he had, and as he waited for the food to reheat, he couldn't help but wonder as to the note. Something was going on and he _really_ hated not knowing.

Pulling out his phone one more time, he hesitated before sending Connor a message.

 _Is Katie with you? I'm only asking cause Gavin is really hurting without her. Maybe get her to let him know that she's safe?_

Hank had a bad feeling when he _did_ get a reply back.

 _ **I can't tell you, Hank, and that isn't possible. I'm sorry. Is this anything to do with what happened today?**_

 _Yeah, it's a factor. Okay, stay safe, Connor. Looks after yourself and come back in one piece, all right?_

 _ **Always, Dad.**_

Despite himself, Hank smiled. There was one consolation to the shitshow of today: he'd at least got the chance to talk to Connor, however briefly.

Though his relief hit a messy death when he went through to the bathroom and noticed just _what_ was left on his face from the glitter/confetti bomb. Connor had coated the glitter in an adhesive which meant it was sticking to Hank's face…and he did _not_ approve of the white, blue, red and orange monstrous combination which was left behind.

 _ **Hey, at least tell me how to get all this shit off my face?**_

 _Now why would I do that? The removes all of the fun._

 _ **You're gonna be fucking homeless at this rate, Connor.**_

 _Your threat is acknowledged, Hank. Good luck._

"This stuff's still gonna be here tomorrow, isn't it?"

It was, and Hank swiftly found himself the laughing stock of the precinct at the glitter abomination across his face.

Even Gavin cracked a tiny smile at the sight, and the insults which had been vicious the day before were now much more in the teasing realm. It made life a lot easier.

 _Thanks, kiddo. Can't wait to get you home._


	31. Sticky Situation

Hey guys.

Sorry about the sudden and unexpected hiatus. Had a bit of a difficult time last week after someone decided to send a rather…spiteful message about one of my fics (many of you here follow it, it's the active one from my other D:BH universe). I know that much of my writing will not appeal, and I'm by no means an accomplished author, so I expect criticism. I expect a lot more than I get (which I find incredible). I am happy to take any critique, so long as it is not vindictive and personal.

Getting a message accusing me of being "a twisted and perverted individual who is using an amazing fandom to play out a sick fantasy with a beloved character" caught me very much unawares. I needed to take a step back for a while to refocus myself as I didn't want to spout out a chapter if I wasn't at least vaguely proud of it, especially as this is an arc that ties directly into another story.

So, I am very sorry that I vanished for a while. I just needed to get my head screwed back on right.

On another, much happier, note, we've just passed an incredible milestone in this story. Over 400 reviews, and I am utterly blown away. Thank you all so, so much.

Special thanks for reviews: **AnUnorthodoxDecision, xNarielx, MugetsuPipefox, lordvaatithewindmage, Sorceress of Stories, HK800** and one **Guest**.

This will answer a few questions you all have, and this is the last chapter which takes place before my Christmas one-shot _**Home Is Where The Heart Is**_. I'd recommend a lot of you read that before the next entry of this story as the events of that story lead into what happens after this.

PS. I know a few of you are going to be reeling after this chapter. The complete story will be revealed in _**Under My Skin**_.

* * *

"What have we got?"

Hank's stomach clenched as he descended into their crime scene with Gavin right next to him, the pair having been called out to another body dump. The duo skidded down the muddy bank of the Detroit River just outside of the city, coming to a collection of seven android who had all been brutalised to death and left to waste in a shallow grave dug into the bank. It hadn't even been attempted to be covered, but this area was out of the way. The perpetrators probably didn't feel the need to conceal it.

Chris looked up from where he was taking photographs of prints in the mud around them and gave them a grimace. "Another nasty one, Lieutenant. These poor androids didn't have much of a chance from what we can tell." The officer stood and came to a halt on Hank's left, the older man staying standing as Gavin crouched to get a closer look at the bodies. The skin had been deactivated on three of them, while the other four were frozen at the moment of their deaths.

It never got any easier to see, even if they'd been following the trail of guilty party for literal months now…and every growing day it got harder.

The fact that Connor and Katie were both right in the eye of this storm wasn't far from Hank's mind, and he could see the strain was a million times worse for Gavin.

"All with signs of being restrained and then violently assaulted over a prolonged period of time," Gavin stated while being careful not to touch any of the bodies. "Matches our MO, right down to their self-healing programs evidently being deactivated throughout the attack."

Hank watched him carefully as Chris kept taking notes. "That brings us to how many victims now?"

"27 confirmed to belong to this killer, and another 26 possibilities. Doubt they're all from this bastard though, too inconsistent," Gavin relayed coldly.

"Great, so we've got _two_ possible android serial killers out there. Fan-fucking-tastic." Hank spun to look at Chris. "CSI got all they need with these poor buggers?"

Chris nodded in confirmation. "Yes, and we've notified the Jericho androids of their discovery. Early signs indicate they will be impossible to reactivate, just like the rest, but at least they can be given a dignified burial if nothing else."

"All right," Hank sighed sadly. "You're good, Chris. We'll let you know if we need anything." Chris left with a final nod, leaving only Hank and Gavin next to the pile of bodies. Now alone, Hank crouched to see Gavin staring at the remains hard. "Anyone you recognise?" the lieutenant asked quietly.

"I don't exactly spend any longer in that shithole than I need to, Anderson," Gavin snapped, "and there are dozens of androids in there across two floors. I sure as hell don't know them all by sight."

"I know that," Hank replied placatingly, "but you got that place's 'catalogue' as the bastard put it, right? You've got a hell of a lot more access to identify anyone."

Gavin sighed in defeat. "Nothing that I can see right now, I'll have to cross-check when I get home. Can't exactly access that shit on the DPD servers without tipping anyone off."

"Sounds good. Don't think we can do an awful lot, we'll have more opportunity to examine them once CSI moves 'em out." Hank shivered against a biting wind which ripped through the area and heard the rumbling of thunder above them. "Nothing like a winder thunderstorm to tell you to get your arse moving. Come on, let's clear out of here." Gavin acknowledged the suggestion with a grunt and stood as the pair headed back up to Hank's car, not speaking a word as they moved on.

Things were a hell of a lot better now than they had been weeks ago, though Hank was well aware that was down to a combination of factors. One, it was further away from the anniversary now, so Gavin's emotions weren't as highly strung. Two, that explosive moment between them had actually been beneficial, letting some old hurts air and be known. Three, and most importantly, the mystery behind Connor and Katie's disappearances was finally solved, and Gavin was finally back in contact with his partner. Even if it was less than ideal circumstances.

It had taken over a month before Fowler finally told them everything: Katie had been sent in undercover with Connor acting as her backup and handler. The FBI had managed to come across a lead that all the androids had been employed at a new android strip and sex club, despite efforts to hide their association. All the background checks had come up clean and everything seemed above board, but within a week of going inside Katie had confirmed that something was amiss.

Things had gone wrong when the club had brought in a jammer after realising that someone on the inside was leaking information – and with it Connor and Katie's method of communication had been broken. The only way to liaise with her now was by sending someone in to the club physically, and Connor hadn't been an option given he was so well known.

Hence why Gavin was now a customer of the club, and more importantly, Katie's client.

Now inside the safety of the vehicle, Hank decided to prod a little more. Connor and Katie's assignment was still a closely guarded secret, and Gavin's now added involvement fell under that same umbrella. Since he wasn't directly involved, Hank was still very much _not_ privy to the details. The only reason he knew at all was because his permanent and now temporary partners were in the middle of it, as well as it being a part of a case that was growing more serious by the day. "So, how is Katie holding up? It's been, what, seven weeks that she's been in that shit heap now?"

"Fine, all things considered," Gavin answered tiredly. "Her position in the club means that she's a valued member and is within Zlatko's circle. Don't know how she's done it, but the bastard actually trusts her. At least she's a dancer and not one of his…" he left the thought there.

"And yet you've somehow ended up as the one customer of Zlatko's that she's sleeping with," Hank pointed out calmly, waiting for Gavin's glare to lose some of its intensity when the younger man rounded on him. "Just stating the facts, Reed. How'd that even end up coming about?"

Gavin paused before answering him. "Told Zlatko I'd help him keep some of his under the table dealings quiet if they crossed our radar, so long as I got exclusive access to Katie. I'd managed to identify the club as the hosting ground for a red ice gang we're tracking from what I'd seen that first night."

"Nice spot," Hank complimented. "And how are you coping with that shit?" Gavin gave him a strange look. "Come on, Reed, don't bullshit me. There's no way this whole situation isn't fucking with your head."

"How do you figure that?" he answered bitingly, but Hank could hear how his voice definitely got quieter.

"You're having to leave your partner in a sex club which is suspected of killing of two dozen androids which were former employees. There's no fuckin' way that isn't sticking in your head and making your gut twist every time you have to walk away."

"Are you done?" Gavin snapped, pointedly looking away.

Hank stared at him for a few seconds before starting the car with a sigh. That was a bit of a bust. "Yeah. Yeah, I'm done. You know Connor's keeping an eye on her: the minute he thinks something is amiss, he'll let you know." Gavin didn't acknowledge it verbally, but Hank could see his posture relax.

He didn't know what was worse. Connor ghosting in and out of his life, being there but Hank never seeing him, or Gavin's situation. He could see Katie, but he kept having to leave her in that…place, despite knowing the danger she was in.

Thoughts of his son made Hank's mind go on a small tangent, and the corner of his mouth turned up in a tiny smile. There was no reason he couldn't pull a prank while Connor wasn't around, was there? This is one that he wasn't convinced his son wouldn't spot from a mile away anyway.

"Hey, Gavin, do you know if Chris keeps changes of clothes at the precinct? You're friends with him, right?"

Gavin turned to give him a confused look. "What kind of fucking question is-" And then the penny dropped. "Taking a leaf out of Connor's book?" he realised with a smirk.

"Maybe I am. So...?"

"'Course he fucking does, every bastard who even half knows their way around police work keeps at least one change of clothes handy. What you planning?"

"You wanna know?" Hank asked incredulously.

"Fuck yeah, pulling a prank sounds fun."

"Whoa whoa whoa, back the fuck up. You want _in_ on this?"

"I've been involved in a few by now, what's so strange about it?" Gavin asked while raising an eyebrow.

"Cause you're helping _me_! And I thought you helping Connor was fuckin' crazy, this takes the cake."

"You'd rather I just go back to insulting your old ass?"

"…So this is what I'm thinking..."

* * *

Two days later in the precinct saw their case take a noticeable turn. One of the androids, a male AP700, had managed to be reactivated successfully by Markus' people. Though he was severely damaged, they had managed to learn a few key pieces of information – including that he had worked at Zlatko's club. The bad news was that he'd left the establishment three weeks prior, meaning there was no definitive evidence that Zlatko's people were responsible. His audio receptors and optical units had been deactivated after being shocked into temporary stasis, meaning he had no way of identifying who had put him through his ordeal.

It wasn't a critical breakthrough, but it meant that Gavin had something to pass on to Katie during their next meeting. Maybe she could learn more from the inside with this information.

As that all blew over, Hank and Gavin set into motion their prank. They'd tossed ideas back and forth about who to catch out, though Hank was more than willing to expand the list of targets to three after learning that said trio were gearing up for a prank of their own (the benefit of Gavin being used for ideas on pranks and even being offered to get involved).

Hank was still in a little shock that Gavin hadn't taken Chris, Ben and Tina up on their offer – or he had and the bastard was walking him right into a trap.

Either way, today was going to be interesting for the _right_ reasons.

Contrary to his suspicions, Gavin turned up for their early morning shift at their arranged time with everything they needed for their prank. It seemed Gavin really was keen to be involved. Hank almost wondered if Gavin was using this as a distraction from their larger situation; not that he wasn't doing the same to a degree. The change had been welcome.

"Please tell me you got the stuff which is see through," Hank told him as Gavin dumped the bags on his desk.

"No, I got the fluorescent yellow," Gavin deadpanned. "Of course I got it fucking clear!"

"Just making sure," the older man grumbled while pulling the first roll up to examine. "So, how we doing this? Whole thing or just the main cushion?"

"You do whatever the fuck you want to Ben. I'm hitting Chris so that he's gonna have sticky pants and I'm gonna mess Tina's shirt up since she's a lazy bitch and always slouches."

Hank looked at him. "You're always lounging back, you fucking hypocrite."

"This ain't about me, is it," Gavin snapped back. "Let's get a move on! Chris is always early."

"How the fuck do you know that?"

"Well _you_ wouldn't seeing as you're always one of the last to get here."

"Seriously, Reed, you need to get out of here more often," Hank sighed. The pair separated with Hank heading to Ben's chair while Gavin went to Chris' first. At the distance they were apart he barely heard the muttered reply, but it still caused him to ache.

"I would if I had something to go back to."

Hank looked over at the other man for a moment and, for the first time in a while, really took him in. He'd changed a hell of a lot in the not too far shy of twenty years that Hank had known him. Gavin had always been a cocky shit, but he'd been a damn good officer and a brilliant young detective. He put the hard work in through the shift and went back home to his family, just as Hank had done himself. It was cruel how both their lives had fallen apart because they lost someone they loved.

Not for the first time, Hank wondered if their androids would help repair both their losses. Connor had somehow become his son and helped with his grief, and it was obvious that Gavin and Katie cared for each other. Maybe she really was what Gavin needed: someone to help pick up the pieces of his own shattered heart.

Shaking his head to get his thoughts back on track, Hank began to pull apart the roll and grabbed a pair of scissors from his desk to get to work.

It was almost an half an hour later that Gavin wandered over to laugh at Hank's efforts. "It's really taken you this fucking long to stick a bunch of fly paper to Ben's chair?"

"Shut up," Hank grumbled. "I'm getting the arms, back and seat, thank you very much. How the fuck did you do that so fast for two chairs?"

"I'm well practiced with this shit," Gavin said with no further explanation. "Chris'll be here in ten minutes tops, so get a fucking move on!"

"All right, I'm fucking moving. Too old for this shit…"

"Your damn idea, Anderson."

Hank turned to glare at Gavin, who was smirking away. "Will you just go out there and stall Chris if you have to?!"

It turned out that for once, Chris was late, and he wasn't the only one. Lots of the officers at the precinct were held up after a large traffic accident not too far from the station caused them all to be snarled up in the tailbacks, so the pair had plenty time. Even going so far as to add smaller pieces to their keyboards to up the ante. Almost twenty minutes late, Chris was the first to arrive, looking rather flustered. Tina and Ben were not far behind, but the two officers had their yearly medical evals to go through first thing.

Which left Ben to be their test run. Hank was fighting hard not to grin from ear-to-ear as he saw Ben slump into his chair tiredly from where he was getting coffee from the break room, and he saw Gavin trying his best not to peer over from where he was working on his terminal. They only had to wait for about ten seconds before Ben tried to sit up from where he'd plonked down, only to find that his shirt and jeans were stuck fast.

Hank was smirking as he saw the other older detective try to reach back and see what was pinning him in place, and the expression was still on his face as he sauntered back to his desk. "Morning, Ben," Hank chirped at seeing Ben fight to free his shirt at the very least.

Ben glowered at him. "Hank, you asshole! What's with this?!" Ben yelled while trying to tease the material free of the adhesive.

"A little birdie told me you were planning a prank on me and Connor, so I thought I'd get a little pre-emptive strike in. You like it?" His smile was getting even wider at seeing Ben get ruffled by his situation.

"If this ruins my shirt I'm billing you for a replacement, Hank!" Ben roared while finally managing to finally get the shirt free. It did not survive in one piece however, as the loud rip which echoed through the floor confirmed.

Gavin snorted from his desk as Hank roared in laughter. "That piece of shit shirt is older than some of _my_ stuff, and _that's_ sayin' something. Tell you what, I'll pay you the dollar I know it cost in the first place since that heap of crap was from me as a Secret Santa one year." Ben glared at Hank's back as the older man sat down in how own chair. "At least your jeans should be fine," Hank offered while Ben grumbled as he reached into his drawers to find his spare shirt.

Chris and Tina's mishaps an hour later were just as entertaining. Chris had even stood up to try and detach himself, only to find the chair went with him while Tina ended up roping in help in the form of Wilson to get her back free. Gavin was howling at the scene and Hank wasn't much better, but he wasn't getting the same barrage of abuse from the female officer as Gavin was. Her swearing caught Fowler's attention when he walked in, but the captain just took one look at the scene and then Hank to know what was going on. Hank shrugged, but made no sign of being apologetic.

With a long suffering sigh Fowler headed to his office. Hank figured the only reason he wasn't pissed was because it had lightened to mood of the bullpen immeasurably.

Now satisfied at seeing all three fall foul of the prank, Hank grabbed his coffee and got ready to top it up…only to find he recreated Chris' incident and stood with his chair still attached to his backside.

Hank's glee changed to annoyance rapidly as he turned to stare at Gavin, only for the detective to flip him off smugly while cackling in triumph.

 _How the fuck did the bastard do that so_ _ **fast**_ _?_

"…Should I be asking some questions about how you can sneak around and steal as much shit as you do, Reed?" Hank asked while wedging the chair under his desk to get free, as he'd seen Chris do earlier.

"The only thing I've ever stolen was your ride, Anderson, and that was _Connor's_ idea; and you've gotta learn to be stealthy in my fucking family," Gavin pointed out with a long stare.

Hank knew all about all that, he'd heard the stories when Gavin was younger and the issues he'd had with his parents. "Well, at least when you go down in blaze of glory here you've got another potential career as a thief," he teased as he got free, glaring at the chair which snapped at the spine as it clattered to the floor.

Gavin started roaring in laughter again. "Better than any hope you've got for the future, asshole."

"Shut it, Reed."

Any annoyance over the situation melted away when Hank texted Connor telling him to look at the CCTV for the day, to which the android called him only so that Hank could hear his laughter loud and clear.

Totally worth it.


	32. Liar, Liar

Hey all!

Before we start this chapter, I just want to extend a massive thank you to all of those who got in touch after the last update. It was a massive confidence boost after all of that crap, and I could never express how grateful I am; but I am also so thankful to all of those who are continuing to read this fic. I can't believe that it is now past 30 chapters, that is absolutely nuts! I'm so happy to be sharing in this crazy ride with all of you, wherever it lands up!

I'm putting out a little cry for help again, though. I have enough material for another 7 pranks and am starting to come a little unstuck with ideas. It would be amazing if you'd be able to help me keep the momentum of this fic going with some wicked suggestions!

Special thanks for reviews: **Mr nod, xNarielx, ChelGallifreyHookCas221B613, MugestuPipefox, AnUnorthodoxDecision, lordvaatithewindmage, HK800, MagicalWitch92, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, Tidem** and one **Guest**.

Heads up! This chapter directly follows the events of my Xmas one-shot _**Home Is Where The Heart Is**_ , and I'd recommend reading it to understand everything that is going on here. You can follow this chapter without having done so, but you'll notice a few things which make a lot more sense have read it. And…that leads directly into **why** this prank is happening, or at least the motivation behind it. This one is a little more personal. For those who are interested, this takes place after the end of _**Under My Skin**_.

* * *

December 31st 2039. What a crazy fuckin' year it had been. Hank knew he'd be sad to see 2039 go, it had been a special year all around.

The most important part of the year was that he had a family again. After all the heartache of Cole's loss, he'd have never again thought he'd let someone in close enough to face that potential hurt. Their misadventure in the lead up to Christmas had almost seen Hank's worst fears realised once again, but despite all the scares, headaches and how often Connor may drive him to distraction, Hank would never regret adopting the android. Connor had completely transformed his life, and he was so proud to be able to tell people that Connor was his son.

He still hadn't quite come to terms with the fact that he now had a wayward pseudo-grandson out there somewhere, but an absolute _shit ton_ had happened in the past two and a half months. Hank thought he could be forgiven for not having not quite got his head round that one yet.

And then of course, who could forget their now legendary prank war. Back on the very first day where he'd nailed Connor with the water balloons, he'd never have dreamed of where they were now. The pranks seemed to be getting bigger and more dramatic every time. Had Hank not known all those involved in the war so well and trusted them (well…yeah, all right, after recent events he figured Gavin could be trusted to be non-malicious now), he might have been worried for the year ahead. As it was, he couldn't wait to see what was coming next.

If someone had told him at the start of 2039 that by the end of the year he would be enjoying his job again, having the time of his life as part of a huge game that made him feel twenty years younger, and would have a new family, he'd have dangled them off the side of the Ambassador bridge head-first, and maybe dropped them if he felt so inclined.

 _Huh, that's not a bad idea to use on North sometime, actually… All the bitching and the scrapes I'd come out with at the end would totally be worth it._

Hank looked over from his desk towards his son on the other side, only to see Connor fiddling with the leather band around his wrist as he thought. He smiled warmly at the subconscious gesture, having done it with his own similar version since receiving the gift at Christmas. Their day in the precinct had been slow, contrary to all expectations, and it was ridiculously quiet. About a third of the android crimes division were off on holiday, including Chris, and the other side of the bullpen was dead too. Tina was away seeing her family and wouldn't be back until next week, and it would be anybody's guess how long it took for Gavin and Katie to come back.

Thinking about the absent pair of detectives made Hank exhale slowly. He hadn't really realised how much he enjoyed and thrived off the fun that always came about from their playful fighting, or how quiet it was without Katie and Connor speaking at the next desk along. Hell, after having been partnered with Gavin for two months, Hank missed him as much as he did Katie. After what had happened that final night of the undercover operation, he couldn't help but worry about them.

He didn't know the whole story, but what he did know was enough. Something had gone badly wrong, resulting in Fowler calling everyone in at 2am for an early morning raid to bring the club down. Hank wouldn't soon forget the state he'd found Connor or Gavin in, rushing in as soon he'd got the call.

Both of them had been bloodied, battered and carrying such haunting looks…half-mad and guilt-ridden. Thank fuck they'd gotten Katie back safely, Hank couldn't bear to think what either of them would have done had they not. Still, he could tell that there had been lasting mental effects to all three of them. Connor hadn't shown too much as yet, he'd thrown himself fully into closing out the investigation now that they had all the proof they needed, but Hank could tell it was only a short-term solution. After the events of Christmas, however, he could see Connor was lost in thought a lot more often now.

"You seem pensive, Hank."

The human snapped back to attention at seeing Connor was now looking up at him curiously. Hank gave him a warm smile in reassurance. "Just thinking back on this year and how crazy it's been," he answered. "Some of it's been real shit, but a hell of a lot more good stuff than bad for the first time in years." His gaze fell to the empty desks across the room. "You heard from either of them?"

Connor's gaze fell back to the leather around his wrist. "I last heard from Katie on the 26th. She was at Gavin's after spending part of Christmas with her family, and then going back to his. From what I can tell, they've not yet spent a whole day apart since the end of the operation."

Hank's expression turned understanding. He'd been a part of a few undercover ops over the years, and it always took time to adjust back – especially after one that goes to shit. "They gonna be all right?"

"It will take some time for them to recover. More so Gavin…but yes, I think they will be."

"Who knows, maybe this will finally get the two of them to fess up about being head over heels for each other." Connor pointedly didn't look at Hank, which suddenly had the older man suspicious. "No fuckin' way…they're a thing now, aren't they?"

The android's smile was soft. "Let's just say that it is well-known that their feelings are mutual." He looked over again. "I firmly believe that they will help each other heal after all that happened."

"Good for them," Hank said firmly. "I'm guessing they won't be at the party tonight, then."

"I would be very surprised: they'll both be happy to have a quiet celebration of the new year on their own, I believe." Connor gave Hank a warm smile. "I still can't quite believe that you decided that would come to anything organised by North and Simon."

Hank laughed. "Regardless of anything else, it'll be funny as fuck. Besides, there ain't going to be that many people there, is there?"

"No. Ourselves along with Markus, who is bringing Carl to the Jericho apartments: his carer, Adam, is joining as well. Other than that, it is just North, Simon, Josh, Kara, Luther and Alice. There are eleven different parties going on just in the apartments tonight – many more are joining the celebrations in the city."

"Whoo, there's going to be some atmosphere, that's for sure."

Connor looked at him in concern. "Do you think we should be leaving Sumo with so many fireworks?"

Hank laughed. "Don't worry about him, Connor. He's fine with them, slept through the whole lot last year." The previous New Year had seen Connor working through the bells after a late call-out and Hank spending it at home with just Sumo. They were both glad that they were off the clock as of 6pm.

"That's good." Connor turned back to his terminal and went back to work, but Hank could tell his thoughts were still far away: and from the way he kept spinning the leather band, he knew who Connor was thinking about.

"I know this ain't going to stop you, but don't worry about him. The kid's smart and brave, he'll be fine. You and I both know he can take care of himself and will be back soon."

Connor chuckled. "Speaking from experience, Hank?"

"I've got _plenty_ of practice with your escapades, Connor. From what we saw of your boy, at least he has a healthier sense of self-preservation." Connor glared at him good naturedly, but took the jibe in stride. It was kind of deserved.

Thinking about that had Hank's eyes drifting to the miniature Zen Garden on Connor's desk. He'd got that for Connor as a birthday present after hearing about how his son had fought against CyberLife's programming at the androids' final victory of the uprising. It was meant as a reminder of all that he'd overcome.

And then a thought suddenly hit him like a freight train. "Hey, Connor?"

"Yes, Hank?"

"When you pulled yourself and Kieran into your mind palace, did you know that the Amanda AI would still be there, or were you surprised by her?"

"I had a strong suspicion she would still be there: I merely escaped her, I didn't deactivate her. So long as I didn't return, she wasn't a threat. Why?"

"No reason," Hank threw back idly, but inside he was seething. Months ago, Connor had told him that when he'd used Kamski's backdoor that he had taken control of his own mind palace fully. If Connor had guessed Amanda was still there but just couldn't reach him unless he went back in willingly, then that meant Connor had _lied_ originally.

Well…that put a new spin on things.

Hank snatched up his phone and fired a quick message to North.

 _Bitch, I need a favour._

It only took seconds for her to get back to him.

 _ **I'm a little busy right now, you old bastard. Can't it wait until tonight?**_

 _No it fuckin' can't._

 _ **Sheesh, you sound pissed. Who am I shooting?**_

 _No-one, but yeah, I'm raging. Got a shopping list for you, get this shit together and I'll work out a plan._

 _ **Who you using this crap on?**_

 _I'm gonna teach my son that's it's a big fuckin' mistake lying to me._

 _ **Ouch, I feel bad for Connor already. Tell you what, I've got a better idea.**_

Hank read over her next message quickly, to which he had to desperately fight the grin which threatened to split his face.

 _You're a fucking genius, North._

 _ **You say that as if it's news, Hank.**_

 _About as much news as it is that you're an insufferable cow._

 _ **Fuck you too.**_

 _I'll take a hard pass on that, you get plenty of action already._

 _ **Hell yeah I do! You're just jealous.**_

He laughed quietly at the texts and rolled his eyes at her responses. "Jesus fucking Christ, what have I just put in motion?"

Only one way to find out.

* * *

The pair arrived at the Jericho apartments at just gone 10. They would have been much earlier, but Connor had decided rather resolutely that he wanted to check in on Gavin and Katie after their conversation in the precinct. Hank didn't argue with him, and had been rather surprised at what he found. They had ended up at Gavin's apartment for around thirty minutes after learning that Katie and Dust were both staying there for a while, and he had learned a lot while there.

And, shockingly, it was not so much about Gavin and Katie. After Connor made a cheap comment about her boyfriend being just as bad for leaving rubbish lying around as he had been in Connor's car during the undercover op, Katie had simply giggled while Gavin shrugged. They were making zero effort to hide it, and Hank was pleased for them: it was about damn time. The bit that _did_ catch Hank off-guard, was how Connor and Gavin actually got into a friendly and relaxed conversation, even if it was a little stilted at times.

In all honesty, Hank should have seen that coming. He worked out enough of what happened to know that Gavin and Katie's relationship wasn't the only one to undergo a seismic shift. Whatever had gone down, it seemed that Connor and Gavin were finally tolerant of one another. Friends would be a stretch and a half, but they had come a long way in just a year.

Now ready to bring in the New Year amongst good company, Hank parked up outside the Jericho apartments to see Markus and Josh waiting for them with pleasant smiles. Connor and Hank greeted them happily. "It's good to see both of you. You seem much better than the last time we saw you, Connor," Josh noted.

Hank scoffed. "That's a fucking understatement – at least hasn't had any near-death experiences since then, he's managed to stay out of trouble for that long." Connor rolled his eyes while Josh laughed and Markus chuckled. "Just the two of you out here?"

"North and Simon are currently engaging Kara and Luther in a game of cup pong. With calibration inhibitors on, the game is highly entertaining," Markus explained with a smile. "And some of the forfeits in each cup have brought great hilarity."

Connor's eyes gleamed at the thought. "Oh fuck, that's got someone's interest going," Hank laughed. "Dare I ask?"

"For once, North is the one who's embarrassed."

"Now this I've _got_ to see!"

Hank was not disappointed by what he found. As part of one of the forfeits, North had been forced to don mouse ears, a tail and had her voice box hacked so that she could only squeak. Her anger only made her voice go even higher, much to everyone's hilarity. That combined with the fact that she'd had to detach an arm made her an even sorrier sight. Not that many of the others were much better. Simon's hair had all been stuck with paint and he was covered in various colours, while Kara's skin had been 'chameleoned', so she was currently the same shade of blue as the ping pong ball. Thus far, Luther had only managed to end up wearing only a bin liner, somehow.

Hank seriously wondered who came up with all the forfeits.

"Ah, there you two are!" Simon called when noticing Hank and Connor had arrived. "We were wondering if you had changed your mind about coming!"

"Of course not, wouldn't miss a chance to see this bitch get owned," Hank winked while taunting North with her detached arm, grabbing her ponytail and pulling it. Her squeaks of indignation were music to his ears.

Alice ran from where she'd been sitting on one of the window sills and tackle-hugged Connor. He gave a warm smile at the welcome and wrapped an arm around her as Alice kept a hold of his waist. "We just dropped by to see Katie and Gavin on the way here," Connor explained. "At least the apartments are still standing despite all the noise."

"The night is young yet, it would not be a New Year's party without some mishap," Carl stated sagely, earning a few laughs and an exasperated look from Markus. "Come now, Markus, are you telling me that these androids are the only ones who are mischievous? Your actions will have no doubt inspired others."

"Shall we just accept that they're beyond saving, Carl?" Hank joked, earning a laugh out of the elder human.

"Ah, we may be the inferior machines, but I think we can give these boys a good match," Carl declared. "I know you're going to have more than one set of those cups, Markus. Set up another round."

A second game of cup pong soon followed, with the father and son duos taking each other on. Their first game was purely for fun, and much to everyone's amusement, the inhibitors meant that Hank and Carl actually made more shots that Connor and Markus. Hank and Connor squeaked a win, but by that point, the other game had finished.

North wasn't the only one who'd lost their voice now, and everyone couldn't help but roar in laughter at hearing Luther baa-ing like a sheep. He'd also ended up with one eye switched off. Kara had now also lost an arm, while Simon was wearing 'someone's' underwear on his head. Nobody dared ask too many questions as to who the lacy black thong actually belonged to. North's misery had only deepened now that her one remained hand now had a cup taped around it.

Since they were playing best 2 out of 3 and it had gone one round each, everyone was stuck with their current forfeits until they found a winner. Their attention had fallen elsewhere, however.

They instead chose to stall their decider to witness the 'real' match at the other table. Determined to make up for their miserable failings before, Connor and Markus teamed against their adoptive fathers. The two android were horrified at how quickly they were losing when Carl got a streak, only winking that age had its merits. Markus soon ended up having his coat taped over his head so he couldn't see, and Connor lost both his legs below the knee along with having his right hand taped inside a cup. That made their life even harder.

Connor's mismatched height (and the fact he couldn't see the table any more), meant he and Markus were doomed to lose. He couldn't truly guide Markus' shots when the android leader couldn't see, and his own efforts were miles too far without the help of his calculation software. Carl and Hank put them out of their misery soon enough.

On the second last round, Hank nailed the cup closest to Connor. The android groaned as he heard the ball clatter in and Alice retrieved it, reading out the forfeit.

"Box of horrors?" she wondered out loud, to which Hank looked right over at North. She was grinning widely, confirming all he needed to know. Adam walked over and fetched the box, handing it over to Josh, who placed it right in front of Connor. The android looked at it in trepidation, hating that he couldn't scan the contents. He was having flashbacks to Christmas.

"Well, don't just stare at it all day," Hank chided. "Let's see what's in there!"

North squeaked excitedly from the side of the room as Connor winced, slipping loose the catch on the front of the square box. Everyone who could see jumped at the Jack-in-the-box which sprang out, laughing at Connor in a mechanical tone.

Connor sighed in relief at the jumpscare, knowing that could have been a lot worse. When he heard a hissing sound, however, he wondered if he'd spoke too soon.

The whole room jolted as the puppet exploded, the small detonation doing nothing more than causing a brief fire right in Connor's face. What it did do, however, was leave him covered in soot while his hair was singed and sticking up in crazy directions.

Just as he was about to comment on the trap, Connor found his face getting pelted by shaving cream from the remains of the box, just adding to his mess.

It was completely silent for a few seconds before Alice started snickering, which set everyone else off. As the rest of the room's occupants howled in laughter (apart from Markus, who still couldn't see anything with his coat taped over his head), Hank's eyes gleamed at seeing the _real_ trap which Connor had missed due to both of the distractions. A few others picked up on it, but didn't say anything about the large metal disc now stuck to his back, courtesy of Simon sneaking up behind him and attaching it.

"Why do I find myself wondering how coincidental it was that _I_ ended up getting that box?" Connor wondered aloud.

Hank smirked in response. "That's cause it wasn't an accident Connor."

They all heard the magnet which was attached to the roof power up, but Connor could do nothing more than yelp as Simon picked him up and threw Connor right towards the magnetic plate. He stuck to the target with a satisfying 'thump', and Connor looked around in confusion at suddenly finding himself stuck to the ceiling without any limbs below the knee, and only one usable hand.

"I think you're giving 'hanging out' a new definition Connor," Kara sniggered, causing a few of the others to laugh in concert. Connor simply groaned and sighed in resignation – he had the feeling he would be there for a while.

"Shall we agree that Connor and Markus forfeit since, well, Connor's out of commission and Markus cannot see?" Carl suggested.

"Sounds like a good fuckin' call to me," Hank agreed. He grinned evilly as Connor stated down at him, unimpressed. "Hey, it's only a minute to midnight. Great way to start 2040, eh, Connor?"

"Was this really necessary, Hank?" Connor asked through a sigh.

"Damn straight it was." Rather than say why out loud, Hank sent Connor a message via his phone.

Connor's eyes widened as the text flashed on his HUD, and he suddenly understood.

 _THAT'S for lying to me about the Amanda AI. No hiding the important shit from now on, deal?_

Hank could feel his phone buzz instantly in response.

 _ **I'm sorry, Hank. I just didn't want you to worry.**_

 _Yeah, well, not gonna lie, I'm pissed that you did it. If there's something up with you, you tell me, all right? That's part of being a father._

 _ **Okay, I promise. I'm sorry.**_

 _I know you are. Oh, and good luck convincing someone to let you free this time. I sure as hell ain't doing it._

 _ **You're kidding me, right?**_

"Hey, we're nearly there!" Kara cheered. "10!"

Everyone counted down the seconds (or in North and Luther's case, squeaked or bleated) until midnight struck, and they all celebrated the New Year. Alice ran to Kara and Luther, hugging them both tightly. Simon helped to untangle Markus, who soon found himself with his two lovers in his arms, while Carl, Adam and Josh shared a private toast with thirium and a small champagne for Carl. Hank grabbed the beer that he'd set down earlier and toasted up to Connor, who shook his head in response.

"And no, I ain't kidding, Connor," Hank told him. "Good luck getting down from there on your own, I think you're gonna need it." His smile turned warm as he raised his beer again. "Ready to make 2040 even better than last year?"

"That is going to be an effort," Connor noted, but he too was smiling. It was a challenge they were both up for. "Any grand plans?"

"Oh yeah, I've got a few. You?"

"Of course, I am nothing if not meticulous." The pair of them laughed and shared a small smile. They were both looking forward to what lay ahead.

Although, Connor did not think his year would start with him spending 17 hours, 43 minutes and 4 seconds stuck to the roof. That was _not_ part of the plan.


	33. Hot And Cold

It seems like the New Year's shenanigans went down a treat! So happy to see that you all enjoyed seeing the androids' mishaps. And since a few people asked: yes, I can see Hank having taunted Connor the whole time he was stuck (well, within reason for comfort breaks, food and checking on Sumo). How did he get down? That's part of the mystery!

Special thanks for reviews: **xNarielx, MugetsuPipefox, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, SheNoob, lordvaatithewindmage, AnUnorthodoxDecision, Prank, HK800** and two **Guests.**

This chapter is probably going to surprise a few of you, this it really wasn't meant to be as…melancholy(?) as it turned out. I honestly didn't intend it to go like this, but I think it needs to be this way, if I'm honest. It's a big chapter for two characters, and probably not the two you guys will be thinking.

* * *

" _You know, I thought 'normal' boring days at the precinct were bad. They're_ _ **nothing**_ _compared to the hell of today."_

Connor smirked despite the internal nature of his call with Hank, hearing the frustration loud and clear in the human's voice. He chuckled while dodging the throng of Detroit's pedestrians, but they were much less hassle than they may have been thanks to Sumo's presence. "I recall you stating this morning that you were going to enjoy the peace and quiet; speak too soon, Hank?" he teased.

" _Shut the fuck up, Connor. So I may be regretting that choice of words now…Urgh, whose bright idea was it for me to go through all the applications to the precinct?"_

"That would be Captain Fowler's, and it is _technically_ part of the duties of a Lieutenant to ease his work burden." Connor pulled on Sumo's leash lightly, guiding the dog towards their intended destination. Since it was his day off solo, he'd decided to take Sumo to a new dog park which had opened at the other end of the city in an effort to keep himself busy for a while.

" _More like he's sticking me through my own personal agony as revenge for that alarm clock we rigged in his office. Why is he picking on_ _ **me**_ _when it was a joint effort?"_

"It was _your_ idea to do it to the Captain, Hank," Connor pointed out mirthfully. "I'm sure he knows that I wouldn't attempt anything against him."

Hank growled on the other end. " _Where's Reed when you need him, eh? What I'd give to see him get pranked right now…"_

Connor's eyes shadowed slightly at the mention of Gavin. It had now been over a month since he and Katie had last been in the precinct, and Connor knew from the frequent messages that he swapped with Katie that the detective was still struggling to cope with what had happened at the end of the undercover operation in Zlatko's club. His and Katie's newfound relationship was probably all that had held him together in the early days, and Connor could empathise all too well with trying to…accept the painful memories. "I'm sure the opportunity will arise again soon, Hank," he replied slightly heavily.

The other man instantly picked up on the change of tone. " _How are those two doing, anyway? Any idea on when they're coming back?"_

"Their provisional return date is in two weeks, but that is still unconfirmed. I am contemplating going over to visit them later today, just to check in."

Hank hummed knowingly. " _Suuuuure, you going over to willingly spend time with Gavin? Since when? I thought New Year was odd, but this is_ _ **definitely**_ _weird."_

Connor sighed quietly. "It's…complicated, Hank."

Much to Connor's relief, Hank realised that he wasn't willing to talk about it yet. If Connor was honest with himself, this was maybe the one thing he'd never tell his father the truth about. _"Okay, son, I can take a hint. You gonna be there when I get home?"_

"I believe so, yes. If I am to be out, I will message you."

" _Fine, time for me to get back to my boredom I guess. Have fun, Connor."_

"See you soon, Hank." Connor disconnected the call with a smile, turning his gaze to the park which he had just arrived at with Sumo. The St Bernard started tugging at his leash eagerly upon seeing the vast space and the multitude of dogs, to which Connor let his free with a chuckle. Sumo tore off towards the centre of the park, but Connor knew he wouldn't go too far. Once he tired out, Sumo would find him again and probably sleep for a while before they headed home.

Now on his own, Connor wandered along the path for a while before spying a tall tree along the edge of the park. After running a quick scan to make sure that the branches were sturdy enough for his weight, Connor scaled the tree in a few graceful moves. He settled on a branch just over ten feet high and rested against the trunk, turning his gaze to the world around him.

Since the events of just before Christmas, and of the festive period itself, Connor had spent more and more time thinking. It was hard not to with all that had happened recently, but he'd found good counsel in the Jericho crew. While none of them knew exactly what happened – Connor was adamant that the only ones who would even know the full truth would be himself and Gavin, no-one else deserved to carry that burden – they had given him some good advice on how to cope with traumatic memories. It had been Simon's suggestion that just watching the world could bring some peace, and Connor had found it surprisingly therapeutic.

He maybe should have thought before that people watching would be appealing to him – with his fascination regarding human interactions, just observing them from a distance gave him a surprising amount of information to process. Part of his walks with Sumo now always consisted of him taking time to see the innocent everyday events around him.

Children playing with their parents, friends talking and laughing together. Couples spending a few quiet moments together, other pet owners out walking their companions. Groups playing games, a few others laying back on the grass to watch the clouds in the sky above.

Humans and androids, mostly separate if they weren't in larger groups, but there was no animosity there: they were just in their own little worlds. There were a few pairs consisting of both races, however, and that made Connor smile the most. They were the proof of just how far society had come in barely over a year.

His eyes widened slightly at one pair in the distance: walking leisurely while talking quietly, her arm threaded through his and a sandy husky trotting alongside them happily.

Connor beamed at seeing the easy interaction between Gavin and Katie – he was grateful to see this little snippet of their developing relationship. While it would probably surprise almost everyone at the precinct, he was delighted that they were finally together. It had been a long, and at times extremely hard, road, but they'd got there.

As he watched them, he couldn't help a devilish thought. Hank had lamented on the fact that Gavin wasn't around to prank only a short time ago after all…

This wasn't an opportunity he couldn't pass up.

* * *

On the other side of the park, Katie was telling Gavin a story about how her siblings had tried to prank Richard on one of his few visits home, only for it to backfire spectacularly when they'd caught their poor mother instead. Gavin couldn't help but laugh at the re-telling, and while he was chuckling away, he missed how Katie's eyes widened at the ping, and then Connor's voice, which came through her head.

 _Hello, Katie. I wonder if I could tear you away from Gavin's arm for a little game?_

Katie looked around subtly, trying to spy him. _**Wow, hi, Connor. Okay, that's seriously creepy, how the hell do you know I'm out with Gavin?**_

 _I can see you on the other side of the park. You look like you are having a good time._

 _ **Wait, you're here?!**_

 _Indeed I am. In fact, if you were to let Dust free, I'm sure she would find Sumo soon enough, he's not far from you._

 _ **Huh, well there you go. Hang on, rewind a second. What 'game' are you thinking of?**_

 _Do you think you can separate from him and come join me?_

She giggled in her head. _**What**_ _are_ _ **you up to?**_ Connor didn't answer her, but Katie felt Gavin nudge her lightly with his elbow. "Hey, am I boring you?" he asked jokingly.

Katie nudged him back slightly harder. "Hardly," she told him softly, "but I am thinking that I could do with a little thirium top up." She pulled out a five dollar bill and held it out for Gavin. "Don't suppose you fancy buying a small pouch for me, pretty please?"

Gavin rolled his eyes as she bit her lip, knowing it was a weakness of his. "And why am _I_ going to buy it?" he wondered slowly.

"Because you love me," she whispered back, smiling brightly when he sighed fondly in reply. As Gavin took the bill, Katie gave him a quick peck on the lips. "Thanks, Gav."

"The things I do for you," he stated while nudging her again.

"Don't worry, I won't let anyone know that you're actually a decent guy on the inside," she teased, giggling when he flipped her off in return as he walked away. Knowing the small drink and thirium vendor was on the edge of the park, Katie waited until Gavin was a fair distance away before unclipping Dust and ruffling her fur. "Okay, girl, let's have a little fun, shall we? See if you can find Sumo!"

Dust yelped happily once free and tore off up a small hill, to which Katie followed her. The android smiled as her husky bounded around excitedly, and a familiar 'boof' in greeting had her beaming as the St Bernard tackled her. "Hi Sumo!" she giggled while easing the enormous dog off her. "I'm happy to see you too! Don't suppose you could tell me where Connor is, could you?" Sumo barked and trotted away, Dust bounding around him looking for a play mate. The St Bernard picked up on Dust's mischievous mood and tore after her when the husky went running, which had Katie laughing at their antics.

Sumo stopped after a while and barked at a tree, which had Katie looking around in confusion. "Connor?" she asked out loud, momentarily distracted when Dust tackled Sumo to get him to chase her again. As the dogs went back to playing, Katie was surprised by the voice above her.

"Hello there."

Katie turned her gaze up and gave Connor a curious look. "Do I want to know what you're doing up a tree?" she wondered aloud.

Connor shrugged and stretched a hand down for her. "It's peaceful up here. Fancy joining me? The branch can more than cope with our combined weight."

Glad to spend time with her closest friend, Katie scaled the tree gracefully and allowed Connor to pull her up the last distance. She settled between his legs and leant back against him, deciding to look around. "Wow, it's some view from up here," she breathed in wonder. "Do you do this often?"

He thought for a second before answering. "Only as of late." Katie turned to give him a sad look, to which Connor gave her a reassuring smile in return. "I regret nothing, Katie: I would do it again in a heartbeat."

"You shouldn't be hurting because of me, Connor. _Both_ of you are suffering because I screwed up," she whispered venomously, clearly angry.

Sighing for a moment, Connor held his palm out for her to interface with him. Katie looked at him strangely but accepted it, her own skin receding and allowing them to connect. She was instantly flooded with his inner turmoil, but saw his resolute belief that none of what had transpired was her fault. In return, he felt Katie's anguish at both Connor and Gavin's mental suffering. "How is Gavin coping?" Connor asked softly, allowing her to pull away.

"He's not," she answered honestly. "He still can't sleep, he has nightmares almost every night. Therapy really isn't helping him either, he refuses to talk about all of it. I don't know if he can…"

That sounded eerily familiar. "I can empathise with that," Connor admitted, before he smiled slightly. "So, do you think he'd appreciate being given a challenge?"

Katie raised an eyebrow at Connor. "What on earth are you planning, Connor?"

He winked at her. "Why don't we see how long it takes your boyfriend to find you?"

"I'm not sending him around for hours," she told him definitively.

"I wasn't thinking that," Connor replied lightly. "I'm sure you are familiar with the notion of 'hot and cold', aren't you?"

Now catching on to his idea, Katie laughed warmly and started looking out across the park, spying their target. Gavin was looking around rather lost, evidently confused by Katie's disappearance. She grinned and looked back to Connor. "So, how you wanting to do this?"

Connor winked again and the two interfaced as he prompted her to call Gavin. Katie did so with a broad smile, barely able to stop herself from giggling when Gavin answered. _"Where'd you run off to?"_ he asked down the line, looking around in confusion.

"I might have stolen your girlfriend," Connor told him plainly. Katie had to swallow back on the laughter threatening to pour out; she hadn't expected Connor to phrase it quite like _that_.

Gavin sighed on the end through a low growl. " _I should have figured you were involved in this, tin can._ " Connor saw Katie squirming to keep back her giggles and chuckled at her reaction. _"What have you done with her?"_

"Nothing untoward, I assure you. You won't be getting her back until you find us, however."

" _For fuck's sake, Connor. Really?"_

"Really, Gavin. I'll even help you out – I'll tell you if you are getting hotter or colder."

The detective groaned loudly. _"Seriously? I thought I'd be away from your damn pranks not being at the precinct."_

"Clearly Katie has not been telling you enough stories of my misadventures outside of work then," he said while starting to tickle her. Katie's laughter came pouring out as she tried in vain to get away.

"Gavin, help!" she shouted down the line, howling as Connor continued his assault.

" _Connor, what the hell are you doing to her?"_

"You'll find out when you get here," he said smugly, going for an area he knew was extra ticklish on her. The advantages of being able to see an android's sensor locations – it made knowing where they were the most sensitive _very_ easy. Katie wheezed as Connor paused, waiting for Gavin to start moving.

" _Fucking hell…fine! I'm going, I'm going!"_

He immediately went the wrong way, to which Connor tickled Katie again. "Gavin!" she yelped, elbowing Connor pretty hard as he smirked.

"In case you were wondering, that means you are getting colder," Connor clarified.

" _God fucking dammit…Connor, you're a bastard, you know that?"_

"You have reminded me of that often in recent months," he pointed out, keeping a close eye on Gavin's movements. The human detective did a 180 and started heading much closer to the correct direction, and it was only after about half a minute of walking that Connor tickled Katie again. Her brief gasp of laughter was enough to get Gavin to stop. "Try again."

" _You're fucking tickling her, aren't you?"_

"Yes!" Katie squealed as Connor went again when Gavin turned the wrong way. "For fuck's sake, Gavin, use your head!"

" _Not fucking helpful, Katie!"_

Connor chuckled as he kept running his fingers down Katie's side every time Gavin turned the wrong way. Of course, with Connor only telling Gavin when he was getting further away and refusing to help give him a direction, the game was taking a while. "Oh shit!" Katie wheezed after a while. "Dust, get Gavin!" she shouted down at her dog, who had been curled up with Sumo under the tree.

Dust perked up at Katie's shout, and just hearing the dog's barks was enough to tip Gavin off to the right direction. She came bounding over to him as Gavin shouted on her, but that didn't help him in finding the missing pair. " _Hey girl,"_ the androids heard Gavin telling the hound over the phone. " _Where's Katie? Where have you been all this time?"_

"She found a friend," Connor told him casually, finally pulling back to lounge against the tree again. Katie shot him a suspicious look, to which Connor help his hands up in surrender. Evidently, he'd had his fun.

Katie scowled at him as she saw Gavin slowly getting closer. _**You enjoyed that way too much**_ , she grumbled over the network.

Connor laughed. _It's not my fault that you were designed with so many pleasure sensors that it makes you a prime target for tickling. If it makes you feel any better, North reacts a lot worse than you do._

 _ **I'll bet that whatever poor bugger decides to try that on her gets a kick or three to the face.**_

 _Only three? Try six._

She gave him an odd look. _**You've not been**_ _that_ _ **stupid, have you?**_

 _No, but I was there when Markus was. It was quite the spectacle._

The pair sniggered mentally, and their attention was caught by Gavin spying Sumo. Now switching to speaking down the phone line internally, they watched Gavin wander over to pet the large dog. "Well if you're snoozing here, Connor can't be far," Gavin surmised, looking around. "All right, Connor, game's up! Come on, give her back."

Nothing.

Sighing angrily, Gavin began to wander away from the tree when Connor's voice came through his phone again.

" _Getting colder, Gavin."_

Snarling, Gavin turned and began to walk away the other way, but was stopped by the same mocking statement. He sighed angrily as he stalked around the tree, not understanding why he couldn't find them. "You're a fucking troll, Connor. I swear if you're led me to the middle of goddamn nowhere-"

Dust yelped upwards, spying her mistress, and only then did Gavin look up. His posture slumped at finding the grinning androids. "Oh." Well, he felt like a bit of an idiot now. "You two have really been up there the whole time?"

"Yep," Katie teased. "Gavin, you're a detective, and you seriously didn't think about looking up when you found Sumo under the tree?"

"I thought he was just in the shade!" he shouted back defensively, but neither Connor nor Katie missed how his face was heating up in embarrassment. Both androids snickered at the reaction. Coughing awkwardly, Gavin gave Connor a look. "Found you: that means I get Katie back."

"What if I'm quite comfortable?" she said lightly while leaning back against Connor more. Connor wondered if it was such a clever idea, but he saw Gavin smirk confidently.

"Hate to break it to you, Katie, but Connor's the last person I'm going to get jealous over you with nowadays."

"Sure, he says that _now_ …" Katie drawled. "He wasn't quite so happy when he found out about our little session months ago," she finished with a wink at Connor.

Connor chuckled while pushing Katie up. "Yes, well, as fun as this is, I am going to be heading back. I have other things I need to do before Hank gets home; and I'm sure you two have plans of your own." Katie pouted dramatically, but Connor just nudged her again. "Go on, enjoy the day with your boyfriend."

Her expression flipped and she leant over to give Connor a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks, Connor, this was fun," she said softly. Connor smiled at her as she dropped to the ground, greeting Gavin cheekily. The detective just rolled his eyes while giving her the thirium pouch he'd bought earlier, which Katie took eagerly. Dust was soon clipped back onto her leash and the duo walked away, Katie giving Connor a wave while Gavin stuck up a lazy middle finger at the android while walking away.

 _Well, that was one way to kill time,_ he thought amusedly, jumping down himself to gather Sumo and head home.

What he didn't expect, was the message he got on his HUD from Markus just as he got back home.

 _ **Connor, North heard from Hank earlier that you seemed to be having a bad day. Anything we can help with?**_

He smiled at the concern and decided to call in reply, answering Markus as honestly as he could. It took only a second for Markus to answer him.

 _ **Hey, Connor. You wanting to come over?**_

 _The offer is appreciated, Markus, but for once, I'm going to be turning you down. As much distraction as you can provide me, I don't think I can keep avoiding this forever._

 _ **Are you sure? We're always willing to listen. Well, okay, maybe the others less so, but**_ _I_ _ **am.**_

 _This isn't something I would or could share with you, Markus. I know what I need to do. Don't worry, I'll be around again soon._

 _ **Okay, so long as you're sure, Connor. You know where we are.**_

Connor smiled at the tone.

 _That I do. Thanks, Markus. See you soon._

 _ **Take care, Connor.**_

The line disconnected and Connor let Sumo off his leash, watching as the dog curled up in his basket. He hadn't been lying to Markus, he did know what it was that he needed to do. Making that first step was going to be hard though – for both of them. Running was often easier than facing memories head-on, but it wasn't something they could avoid forever. They owed it to too many people in their lives to make the effort to get back to some normality.

And if they couldn't bear to relive it with anyone else…then there was only one thing for it.

He quickly sent a message, and before he'd even managed to get to the kitchen to start cleaning the counters, he had his answer.

 _We need to talk. Training hall?_

 _ **Sure.**_

* * *

It was eleven pm before Connor entered the hall, but he walked over to the training mats in the corner and started to drag them out to form a sparring mat. At least at this time, there was little chance of them being disturbed. He'd managed to sneak away with a small white lie to Hank that he was off to meet someone.

Well, okay, it wasn't really a lie. He _was_ meeting someone. It just wasn't for any kind of good reason.

Connor didn't have to wait long for the door of the hall to open and clatter shut again, to which he turned to see his company arrive, already changed and ready to fight. The android tossed some wrappings over, already strapped up himself. "How hard do you want me to go?"

"Don't hold back on me," Gavin told him curtly. "I need to not think right now. Feel free to kick the shit out of me."

"I doubt Katie would thank me for that," Connor pointed out.

"Connor, you know what the fuck happened in there. I just…I need to forget it for a while," Gavin admitted painfully. "What I saw was bad enough, I can only imagine what _you_ know." As he finished wrapping his right hand, Gavin looked up. "Kick the crap out of me, then we can talk. Just do that for me."

He nodded in agreement, and the two were soon sparring. Well, that was being generous. With his subroutines maxed, Connor was indeed kicking the shit out of Gavin, but it was what they both needed. Just some form of outpouring.

And at the end of it, they finally talked. They talked until Connor's shift the next morning, to which Gavin slipped away without anyone ever knowing he was there.

It was a start.


	34. Ever Heard Of Personal Space?

Hey again!

Wow, you guys really liked seeing the new dynamic between Connor, Katie and Gavin. How did this trio sudden manage to steal everyone's hearts? Strange how it seems that almost everyone hated Gavin to start with (myself included!) and now it has flipped to wanting to see him get a happy ending. This evolution has caught me as off guard as anyone.

So, you guys are going to get a little more of my head canon here – not only for Gavin's previous relationship, but the rest of the story as to Hank and Gavin's own strained dynamic. Not to mention Hank going mildly into protective dad mode, which I know you guys love.

Plus…you guys have been wondering what's going on with Connor? You're about to find out in a slightly unexpected way. Nothing bad! Just…you'll probably empathise with poor Hank.

Special thanks for reviews: **xNarielx, MugetsuPipefox, SheNoob, HK800, lordvaatithewindmage, Rachy** and **AnUnorthodoxDecision.**

This chapter was at the request of an Anon on Tumblr, who wanted to see a little face-off between the partnerships of the DPD. I couldn't resist, and I've decided to add my own twist on that _*winks*._ And yes, there will be a part 2 where revenge is dished out!

* * *

It had been nearly six weeks to the day since they were both signed off from that precinct that marked Gavin and Katie's returns. Even though Katie had flitted in and out occasionally to visit some of her co-workers (mostly Connor, though she had, weirdly enough, been spending more time with Tina), this would be their first shift back at work. And they couldn't have timed it any worse.

After a quiet, but heartfelt, welcome back from the rest of the bullpen, everyone was called into a meeting with Fowler and HR. The news was not universally welcomed.

In an effort to improve the dynamics of the DPD as a whole, they'd made the call to change up the partnerships for six weeks, with everyone rotating partners in two week intervals. Not ideal timing given recent events.

Fowler, having foreseen that this new format was going to cause a lot of arguments, had planned well in advance who was going to be teamed with who. And despite all the grumbling, it had been done carefully.

Hence why Katie had switched over to android crimes, temporarily, to be partnered with Hank, and Connor was remaining in homicide for the moment to team with Gavin.

Honestly, they all expected it to be a lot more awkward than it was, but the quartet's dynamic had drastically changed after the undercover case. Aside from Hank's slight overbearing to make sure Gavin wasn't an ass to Connor, and Gavin's fierce protectiveness of Katie, they adapted well. Three days in, and there hadn't been any major incidents.

And that was the problem. When this lot were bored, they got ideas. _Bad_ ideas.

Add to that the fact that the chief pranksters (Hank and Connor) were not in each other's company so often…

Well, Hank was enjoying bouncing ideas off someone new. Especially when Katie was just as eager to catch not only Connor out, but also her new boyfriend.

"So, how is it going with you and Reed, anyway?" Hank asked as he and Katie were headed out to interview the victim of a hate crime. In a slightly rarer twist, it was a human who had been targeted by an android. They didn't happen often, but in the fallout of the case with Zlatko's club becoming such major news, there had been an increase in the past month.

Katie blushed lightly and look out the window of Hank's car, keeping her gaze elsewhere. "Why do you ask, Lieutenant?" she muttered to the glass.

Hank raised an eyebrow. "Okay, we've known each other long enough now, Katie: you can drop the damn title and just call me by my name, especially seeing as we're partners for a while. Never mind the fact that you and Connor are literally best buds and I swear you only come over so often so that your dog gets to play with Sumo." Katie chuckled but didn't deny it.

"All right then, Hank…shit, that sounds weird to say," she admitted, which had Hank bellowing in laughter.

"Not as weird as it is to hear you say it, kid," he told her, which had Katie giggling. "You gonna make me ask again, or are you purposefully avoiding it?"

She just gave Hank a look. "I did answer you, I wanted to know why you are being so nosey."

 _Ah, I wonder if she knows this bit of the story._

Hank's expression turned a bit more sad. "You know everything about Gavin and his ex-boyfriend Matt now, right?" he asked softly, to which Katie nodded solemnly. "Does that include why Gavin hates my guts?"

"You stopped him from running into the building after discovering Matt was inside," she relayed quietly, remembering the night that Gavin told her about the tragedy which had shattered his life well.

"Yeah, and he's never forgiven me for that since. Not that I blame him, I could have fought harder for Matt not to go, stalled him. Who knows what might have happened…" he finished wistfully, before snapping himself back to the focal point of their conversation. "Sorry, got a bit side-tracked there. What I was wondering is, did Gavin ever tell you that I'm the reason he and Matt even got introduced?"

That had Katie's attention – Gavin had left out that little detail. "No."

The lieutenant smiled in remembrance as he continued driving. "God, that's a long-ass time ago now. It would have been, what, 2027? Yeah, that sounds about right. It was the New Year's ball for the first responders, and Gavin was heading right towards his promotion to detective. As such, he got strong-armed into attending the ball that year." Katie leant back with a smile, listening to the story eagerly. "You can imagine all my bitching, I didn't do those fancy shitshows, even in my prime. Gavin was eager to join in, and in between all our slagging comes across a few old friends – some of which I knew from the academy.

"Matt was one of them. I was a late starter and he was a youngster for our year, but before we graduated he was headhunted for the fire department instead. Never blamed him for taking that post, it was a sweet deal. So, I'm catching up with all that lot, and next thing you know, Matt's buying the 'pretty loudmouth' who I was bitching up a storm with a drink. I left to get home as I'd had enough of the bullshit, and asked Matt to make sure Gavin made it back safe. Phoned him up the next day only to find out he'd taken Gavin back to his place."

That had the android giggling. "Oh god, was Gavin embarrassed or proud?"

"Both, definitely fucking both. Wouldn't let him forget it for _months_." Hank's brightness dimmed again. "I think that's part of the reason Gavin projected so much of his anger on me. I was responsible in part not only for Matt's death, but also for them meeting in the first place. When you're grieving, your mind goes in all sorts of directions while looking for someone or something to blame."

He sighed deeply. "I guess what I'm getting at is that I just want the best for both of you. Despite all the shit between us since, I had a soft spot for Gavin once upon a time. He was a feisty but talented guy whose life got blown apart in one of the worst fucking ways possible, and I know it still haunts him now. I don't want any of that shit to get dragged into his relationship with you."

Katie gave Hank a grateful smile. "I appreciate that Lieu-Hank," she corrected herself, "but we are…we're really good," she said softly. "This has been a long time coming. We've known that we cared about each other since the shooting, before that honestly, and after everything that's happened recently…Things are where they should be." She blushed lightly and looked back out the front window. "To be honest though, I'm surprised you haven't been getting pestered by him more as to how I am."

Hank smirked and tossed his phone over after unlocking it, allowing Katie to see the stream of messages he'd been receiving from Gavin over the past two days. She was howling at the insults and threats the two of them were trading in concern for their respective androids. "You better fucking believe he's been on my case. Still, it's good to hear that you guys are solid." She gave him a soft smile and the sparkle in her eyes had Hank smiling. Connor and Katie's closeness meant that he'd developed somewhat of a protective urge over her too, and he was glad to see that everything was finally coming together for her.

Never in a million fucking years would he have thought _Gavin_ would be the right person for her, but since Connor was so adamant that they were a perfect fit, Hank was quite happy to trust Connor's judgement on that one. He could only wonder if the conversations Connor and Gavin were having in their temporary partnership were like the awkward but genuine one he'd seen at New Year.

Thinking on the two of them stuck together somewhat unwillingly made the practical joker side of his personality burst in mischievous glee

His eyes took on a knowing twinkle as Katie passed his phone back over. "Well, I think we've got somewhat of an opportunity here, Katie. Fancy helping me out in playing a prank on our respective partners?"

Her small smirk and wink in reply had Hank sniggering. "Who says I don't already have a plan or two?" she teased.

By somewhat of a miracle, they had the exact same idea – and they knew Connor and Gavin were probably going to kill them if they pulled it off.

* * *

Since Katie had already been prepping for the prank herself before finding out that Hank had the same thought, she had already managed to think of a method for enacting it. The only problem they were going to have was that they needed both Connor and Gavin to be at least mildly co-operative.

Gavin wasn't going to realise anything, most likely, but Connor's sensors, and now semi-permanent alertness to pranks, meant that he was going to be a lot harder to catch. So, naturally, they brought in someone completely unexpected to hopefully draw Connor in, completely unawares.

The next day saw Gavin and Katie arriving at the precinct after Hank and Connor, but Hank could see she'd already managed to slip the little metal bangle around his wrist somehow. Raising an eyebrow, he fished out his phone and sent her a quick message while Connor approached Gavin about development (or lack thereof) on their case.

 _How the fuck did you manage to get Reed to wear that thing willingly?_

She didn't even pause in the quick conversation she was having with Chris as she replied. Damned android multitasking.

 _ **I told him it was a prototype life signs monitor. They are actually developing one at Jericho for all those androids with human partners, so it didn't seem like too much of a lie.**_

 _And he bought it?_

 _ **Not really, but I may have guilt tripped him into it after telling him I knew how much he was pestering you about my status. When I said that I didn't want to do the same to Connor about him, he gave in.**_

 _You sneaky little bitch. I love it._

 _ **He'll forgive me eventually. ;)**_

Hank couldn't stop himself from laughing at the winking emoji tacked on the end, that was Gavin's influence no doubt. He then had to fight really hard not to do it again as he saw Katie slipping the other bangle to Chris, casual as you like. The subtlety on Chris' part was somewhat of a surprise, he'd never known the young officer to be so sly.

Well…maybe Chris would make a helpful accomplice on another prank.

Fortunately, Connor and Gavin were so engrossed in looking over a report that they didn't notice either his laughter or their little handoff, so the next half hour passed without anything to tip them off. After dropping into Fowler's office to check that they could potentially do without the pair for the day (and giving the captain the heads up for what was about to happen, Jeffrey brushing him off with an amused chuckle and a shake of the head), Hank sent a message to both Katie and Chris, telling them that everything was good to go.

The pair seamlessly set about their roles. Katie dragged Gavin up by the arm to grab him a coffee and herself some thirium from the break room while Chris approached Connor, and spun him a story about the metal bangle which he was now holding out for the android to see.

"Hey, Connor, what do you think of this?" Chris asked him, allowing Connor to scan it.

Thank fuck its purpose wasn't obvious, or that would have given the whole game away. "It is well made," Connor observed.

"Not bad, is it? Some of Beth's students made it in their class, it's meant to be a prototype jammer so that androids can't be hacked," Chris continued, to which Hank was _so_ glad that Connor was facing the opposite way from him, so that the android couldn't see his face.

 _That sneaky bastard, using his wife's job as a teacher for a convincing cover story. I'm definitely roping Chris in again at some point, I never realised he had such a fucking brilliant poker face!_

"Such a technology would be highly useful," Connor noted while testing the catch holding the bangle together.

"I don't suppose you'd be up for trying it out, would you? When Beth mentioned it, I figured you'd be an ideal person to test it given our profession." Connor smiled helpfully and opened the bangle, before Chris stopped him. "Beth said the right wrist is best, something about putting it on the same side as your thirium pump could maybe cause complications?" Connor regarded him with surprise. "Don't ask me, Connor, her whizz kids are behind this. I'm just the messenger."

 _Well at least he's fucking honest in that last statement,_ Hank thought in complete amusement. Connor then slipped the bangle on without argument, right below his leather band, and clipped it in place; which had Hank smirking. This couldn't be going better.

Katie and Gavin reappeared a couple of minutes later, by which point Chris had tactfully vanished again, and Connor was still at Gavin's desk, looking over a file. Angel that she was, Katie had her arm wrapped around Gavin's right one to make sure that he could only go one way in standing next to Connor, the female android spying on their case file. The bangle on Gavin's left wrist was now right next to the one on Connor's right, his son having helpfully held the file in his left.

 _Showtime._

Standing as silently as he could, he casually picked up his own coffee cup to fill it up in the break room. Since their backs were to him, none of the discussing trio noticed his approach, nor the small metal box which he retrieved from his pocket. It powered up quietly, and he made sure not to stand right behind them until the last possible moment.

Connor was about to turn in greeting when he suddenly felt his right arm be pulled slightly to the side, and lifting it became much more difficult. The swearing from Gavin caught his attention too, and he suddenly had a _very_ bad feeling. Sure enough, he looked down to see that the bangles he and Gavin were wearing were now joined together via the small magnet which Hank had deftly slipped into place.

They were effectively handcuffed together.

With a snigger, Katie let go of Gavin's arm and stepped away with Hank, flashing the pair a triumphant smile. Gavin just gaped at her. "What the fuck?! The hell is this, Katie?" he barked.

"This, is you two having to get up close and personal," she taunted as they walked away, Hank bellowing in laughter next to her while deciding to wrap an arm around her shoulders.

"Enjoy being stuck together," Hank told them while using his other hand in a beckoning gesture. "By the way, Gavin, Connor's never really had much concept of personal space, so enjoy that. Chris, come on, we've got some evidence to go over."

Chris pointedly didn't look at the two detectives who were gaping at him for his involvement, and the whole bullpen started laughing at seeing Gavin frantically scraping at the metal cuff, trying to unclip it. It was now magnetically sealed and could only be undone by deactivating the bar chaining them together. "You lying bastards!" Gavin shouted towards the trio heading down to the evidence room, having now twigged that he'd been had as to the purpose of the bangle.

Connor sighed in irritation. "I agree with that sentiment," he growled while bringing their joined wrists up to scan the curiously designed handcuffs.

Gavin hissed angrily at the motion, but soon realised what Connor was doing. "Any ideas on how to get us out of the this one, dipshit?" The nickname had long since lost any malice.

"Sadly not," Connor informed him. "This is something I have never seen before, the design is completely unknown to me."

"Great, just fucking great. How the hell do we get these damn things off?" he asked while trying to pull the box away.

"Not like that," Connor deadpanned, earning a glare from Gavin. His scanners directed him to a port on the underside of the box, and he ended up pulling their arms up to get a good look at it.

Gavin snarled at the unprompted change in position. "Watch it! I'm not as tall as you, asshole!"

"I am aware, thank you for the reminder." Gavin was tempted to drive his raised elbow into Connor's head for the sarcasm, but refrained. "It looks like there is a slot for a key of some kind here. That is probably going to be our best bet."

"Then let's get chasing after your shithead of an old man, my conniving partner and Chris. Why the hell was he even involved?"

"Chris informed me that this was a prototype jammer to stop androids being hacked, and asked me to test it out," Connor told him as the pair tried, awkwardly, to make their way to the other end of the bullpen so that they could head downstairs. "He said it was built by his wife's students."

"Well, that was at least halfway believable. Can't believe Katie convinced me that this thing is a bloody life signs detector, what kind of horseshit is that?" Gavin sighed tiredly.

"Actually, Jericho are researching that right now, but it is unfinished."

Gavin gave Connor a look. "Seriously?"

"Yes, many androids are reassured at the thought of knowing their human partner's vitals. Given humans are much more fragile, it is a comfort."

That had Gavin pausing in thought. "Sounds like you're talking from experience there, dipshit."

"I cannot deny that I do that with Hank regularly. Not being partnered with him for the moment and being unable to do it so often is…troubling."

"Well, you and I can agree that switching partners fucking sucks – and believe it or not, that's no offence to you, Connor." The android gave him an understanding smile and nodded. "Come on, lets hunt those assholes down. I dread to think of being stuck to you long enough that I somehow need to take a leak and we're still like this."

* * *

Of course, Hank, Katie and Chris weren't in the evidence lockup. Having taken the emergency exit, they'd actually gone out to do some follow up work on their case – not that they'd told anyone that, save Fowler.

When Connor and Gavin had learned that they were gone, Gavin had sworn up a storm…and then the pair had resigned themselves to being stuck together for a while.

Attempting to work was proving to be a headache. The one shred of mercy that had been shown was that in they'd left Gavin's dominant hand free. He could still do many things, including typing reports, and with Connor being an android, he was still able to interface with his other hand. Their major problem was the fact that they were practically in each other's laps when they'd tried to sit side-by-side at Gavin's desk given the shape of it.

Deciding that everyone's laughter at their awkward combination was not worth it, they'd since shifted to Connor's terminal. The android was sat on the desk itself, his back to the partition between his own desk and Hank's while Gavin was attempting feebly to type with only his right hand. The only comfortable place they had found for Gavin to rest his arm which was in range for the pair of them was, scarily enough, on Connor's thigh.

Pointedly, neither of them had mentioned it.

Much to their horror, the trio were still not back by the time the inevitable happened and Gavin did need a bathroom break, which made their already awkward situation descend to a whole new level. The whole bullpen's hilarity at their misfortune was only tampered by Fowler's intervention, but even he seemed amused at the sequence of events.

It was well past lunch by the time Hank, Katie and Chris reappeared. Gavin settled for flashing his most furious glare at them while Connor was more that a little unimpressed. Hank smirked on his way past the pair at Connor's desk while Katie held out a sandwich for Gavin as a peace offering. Chris gave them a small wave before hiding in the relative safety of his desk.

"All right, which one of you fucking wise guys has the key for this shitty thing?" Gavin grumped, watching with a scowl as Katie sat in Connor's customary spot on Hank's desk.

"Who says there is a key?" Hank teased, cackling when Gavin picked up his now empty sandwich wrapper and hurled it at him.

"Not fucking funny, Anderson! I had to take a goddamn leak while we were like this, and it was _awful!"_

"Could have been worse, at least it wasn't the other way," Katie pointed out, deadpan, which had Gavin howling in embarrassment and Hank shivering at the thought. Even Connor scowled at her from over his shoulder, which just added to her amusement. She smiled sweetly back at the chained pain, before looking down to twirl her dark brown hair around her finger. It had seemingly become a favourite colour of hers.

"This is highly unproductive," Connor added, his own impatience shining through. "How do we detach ourselves?"

Katie and Hank shared a smirk before the lieutenant fired it over to the other two. "You didn't think we'd get away with this without telling Fowler first, did you?" he chuckled.

Gavin growled again. "How the fuck does that- What the fuck, Connor?!" he yelped as Hank's hint clicked and the android abruptly stood. Hank was telling the truth, there was no way that the trio would have been allowed to stay away so long if they were in possession of the only key.

Connor swore at himself for having been so stupid. Gavin's swearing when he realised where Connor was dragging him indicated that the human detective had finally caught up.

Fowler waved them in without waiting for the customary knock, to which Connor and Gavin awkwardly shuffled in. The Captain sat behind his desk with a blank expression, but Connor knew from the results of his scan that it was an act. He was amused, and Connor could already see the shape which fitted the port of the handcuffs in his top pocket.

"What can I do for you, boys?" Fowler asked slowly, trying not to give the game away.

"We're here for the key," Connor answered while raising their linked wrists slightly, to which Gavin grumbled at the movement.

Contrary to their expectations, Fowler gave the key up without a fight, but did chuckle while tossing it over to Connor. The android swiftly slotted it into the port, to which the magnet deactivated. Now free, Gavin swiftly ripped the metal from his wrist and stormed out, intent on grabbing himself a decent coffee and take the break which he'd thus far been denied since he hadn't been willing to step beyond the bullpen. Connor sighed while picking up the discarded item and gave Fowler a quiet thank you before striding out himself.

Hank was surprised when Katie sprang up and dragged Connor to one of the interrogation rooms before he'd barely made it back down the stairs in front of Fowler's office. The pair could communicate mentally, so there was no reason to leave the area…unless they were sharing something physical.

Not trusting that the pair weren't going to be planning something to use on him, Hank slyly followed them and entered the observation side after realising that Connor and Katie were in the interrogation room. Part of him felt bad for sneaking after them like this, but he was adamant that he was simply making sure they weren't about to engineer another prank on him. He'd leave if they were discussing anything personal.

On the visible side of the one way mirror, he saw Katie bubbling with excitement as Connor reluctantly handed the cuffs out for her. _**"Thanks, Connor,"**_ he heard her say happily through the intercom. _**"I promised to give these back tonight."**_

" _I still can't believe you decided to handcuff Gavin and I together, and then leave the only method of escape with Captain Fowler,"_ Connor replied through a sigh.

" _ **Believe it or not, the Lieutenant and I both had the idea to handcuff you guys together,"**_ she giggled. _**"As soon as he found out that Simon had made these beauties, he came up with the idea to involve Chris to catch you. Fowler wasn't part of the plan, so I'm guessing the Captain volunteered himself when your old man ran it past him earlier."**_

" _I might have figured Simon was behind these,"_ Connor told her, raising an eyebrow when she pulled out a third bangle and placed it on another side of the box. The three rings stayed together perfectly with the magnet reactivated.

" _ **Of course he was,"**_ Katie winked. _**"And North wants them back for whatever kinky sex game she has in store for you guys tonight."**_

Hank's eyes almost bulged out of his head. _Wait, what the fu-_

Connor groaned. _"I dread to think."_

" _ **Well, you're going to find out in a few hours,"**_ she teased.

The lieutenant couldn't believe what he was hearing. He knew Connor had said he wasn't going to be in tonight and would be going to the Jericho apartments, but he'd not-he'd not-

 _No fucking way is Connor going over there for some freaky sex games with- Holy shit, is he fucking around with Markus, North and Simon?!_

Seeing Connor look at Katie unimpressed, Hank put his own thoughts on hold. _**"Come on, you know you'll enjoy it, you always do."**_

" _And how do you know about this? I didn't even realise you that knew that I was having sex with them."_

Well, Hank had his answer right there.

" _ **North asked me months ago when they were toying with approaching you to be their fourth if I thought you'd be keen. I may or may not have suggested that you would be so long as it wasn't a romantic partner they were after, which she was over the moon at."**_

Connor sighed. _"Great. There was me thinking this was still a secret."_

" _ **Oh it completely is, Connor. I'm the only one who knows, I think. Well, I've never heard rumours about them having a fourth player, and definitely not the sort of arrangement that you've got going on."**_ Hank was surprised at seeing Connor ease at that.

 _Right, he's aromantic. So is Connor literally just sleeping with them to-what, spice things up? What the actual_ _ **fuck.**_

" _Small mercies."_

" _ **Don't worry, I'll be the hell out of there before you four get up to anything,"**_ she teased, to which Connor swatted her curls playfully. _**"What time are you heading there?"**_

" _10\. Hank and I are watching a film before I leave and he's on early tomorrow, so he'll be sleeping by then. I mentioned to him that I'd be out, but I think I want to spend some more time with him since we aren't getting that much at the moment."_

Katie smiled at that. _**"Yeah. I can see why you enjoy working with him so much, he's pretty awesome."**_ That had Hank's cheeks burning in a blush. He hadn't expected her to say that so…bluntly. _**"And it means that you have less explaining to do. Could you imagine his face at finding out you're really going to the Jericho apartments because you're the part-time fuck buddy of Markus, North and Simon?"**_

" _I don't know what's worse, you putting it that way or hearing North address me as their 'booty call'."_ Katie howled in laughter. _"Besides, can you imagine how awkward that conversation would be? I don't really want to scar Hank's mind with the imagery anyway."_

" _ **From what North's told me, sounds pretty hot in my opinion,"**_ she teased, to which Connor tickled her. Taking their playful laughter as his cue to leave, Hank silently emerged from the observation room with his mind spinning.

Never mind curiosity killed the cat, this was…it was…

… _What the hell?_

* * *

At least one of you called this from the subtle hint I dropped in Chapter 29, so well done to those that did! As for everyone else…surprise! Blame **ValentineXCross** , my amazing muse on AO3 for this twist. See you again soon!


	35. Look Out Below

Hehe, I imagine a lot of you are trying to bleach some images out of your head now, right? Just like poor Hank.

What I didn't expect was how many of you asked whether everything Hank heard was another prank or not. Short answer is, no. All of that was true. You will hear a little more about that later (this isn't going to become a main feature of this fic, it is very much a side issue). Where you _**will**_ hear a lot more about it, is when a certain character makes a return to this series – someone who has become somewhat of a favourite despite his one appearance in this universe.

Special thanks for reviews: **Minecraft Guardiansaiyan, xNarielx, SheNoob, MugetsuPipefox, ConnorTheMemeBot, AnUnorthodoxDecision, HK800, lordvaatithewindmage** and **Britt30.**

And now, for what has suddenly become the most popular pair in this universe (bar Hank and Connor obviously). How did this happen exactly? Your guess is as good as mine.

There's a small glimpse into the events at the end of _**Under My Skin**_ , more specifically on how Gavin and Connor's relationship evolved to where it is now. A few things here might surprise you.

Time for revenge!

* * *

"You know, something has been bugging me about that whole fuck up yesterday."

"Only one thing? I can assure you, Gavin, that there are many things that happened yesterday that I would happily purge from my mind."

"Oh fuck you, Connor. That's not what I was getting at and you know it." Connor simply chuckled in reply.

It was the day after their unfortunate 'handcuffing' incident, and everyone in the precinct had been chuckling at them for the entirety of the morning. Tina had even gone so far as to toss over a spare pair to Gavin in case he and Connor wanted a 'repeat performance' as she'd put it. Of all the pranks that had not only happened in the precinct, but also been relayed through stories, this one seemed to be a favourite.

Now into the next day, Gavin was not quite so sour about the whole affair, but he'd pointedly _not_ gone to see his girlfriend the previous night after her hand in it. Katie had turned up with food as a peace offering, but he'd _really_ not been happy. There was no forgetting some of what they'd been forced to endure.

Gavin scowled slightly at Connor over his coffee, the two having taken a short break on their return from a crime scene to the precinct. While on the outside everyone else might be waiting for the two of them to have a spectacular falling out, the pair of them were actually quite relaxed around each other now. After the chaos of the undercover op in Zlatko's messed up sex/murder club and the events which brought about its downfall, Connor and Gavin's dynamic had greatly changed.

Then again, it was maybe little wonder after Gavin's all but breakdown and their attempts to batter some sense back into each other in an attempt to cope. Literally. Even now, Gavin could still vividly remember the thumping his body took from the android opposite him, but he still took a little pride in recalling how he had Connor pinned and was punching the shit out of him. Now that he could think clearly, rather than being swallowed by a vortex of rage, guilt and despair, it was clear to see that Connor had _let_ him get the upper hand, but it didn't matter.

For those few moments, Gavin had found control again – and the human detective was infinitely grateful to Connor for it. In fact, his debts to the android were never going to be repaid now. Never mind how Connor had stopped him breaking apart both on that case and after it (and still was, to a large degree thanks to their frequent midnight spars), Gavin would _never_ forget what Connor did for Katie. That was the kind of shit which defined a person's character and heart, and Gavin could see that Connor had changed from it. Not much, it was only a few moments where it was visible, but it was enough.

He'd never thought he'd be comfortable being indebted to an android, yet here he was. Luckily, Connor had already made it clear that he never expected anything in return. Which was good, because Gavin wouldn't have the faintest idea on where to start.

Well…other than playing a willing accomplice to Connor's pranks. _That_ he could completely get behind.

"So, going back to my _original_ point," Gavin said after taking sip of his coffee, "why the fuck didn't you just detach your arm? You could have saved us a hell of a lot of awkwardness in doing that."

Connor's LED spun yellow for a split second, which had Gavin's interest. "There was a worm implanted in the cuffs, which I was sadly unable to work around. It disabled the automatic and manual release mechanisms for all of my limbs. Trust me Gavin, if I could have done anything to avoid the eventuality that was being in the DPD bathroom together, I would have done so."

Gavin shivered at the memory. "Goddammit, whose fucking idea was that?"

"I am unsure as to whether it was Simon or North's suggestion, but it could have been either of them. What I am more curious about, is how Katie learned about the existence of those bindings."

The human gave Connor a _long_ look. "Hold the fuck up. Katie's mentioned about how Markus, North and Simon have a threesome thing going; are you seriously telling me that those things were something they devised for their kinky sex games?"

At that moment, Connor was very grateful that Katie had at least been discreet enough to not mention _everything_ about the intentions of the handcuffs. "Correct. Which is why I am intrigued as to how she came by the knowledge of them."

Holding up a hand in warning, Gavin took another long sip. "I'm really not that fucking curious, Connor, I've been scarred enough by the shit that Katie's told me already."

That had the android chuckling. "Remind me to introduce you to North and Simon properly at some point, since I'm sure you would have avoided them at my birthday. If you think Katie is bad, those two will have you threatening to combust from embarrassment."

"Noted," Gavin shuddered, but was curious to Connor's LED flickering yellow several times in frequent bursts. "You getting something?" he asked, recognising that now as incoming messages.

Connor smiled while his LED continued to flicker. "Not work related. I suppose you could say I have somewhat of a protégé when it comes to pranks. Her name is Alice, and she is asking for my advice in whether it is wise to try and attempt to catch out her parents."

Gavin raised an eyebrow. "From how quick you're flashing, I'm guessing she's an android too?"

At that, Connor was mildly impressed. Gavin worked that one out very quickly, and seemed completely nonplussed by the idea. Changed days indeed. "Correct. She and her parents are all androids. I…I actually ended up crossing paths with Alice and her mother, Kara, during the uprising twice. Kara is the AX400 we were sent after in the Ravendale district, they are the ones that Hank stopped me from chasing across the highway. I met them again after Jericho was destroyed, before they fled to Canada. Markus brought me back in contact with them not long after Katie joined us, and I was fortunate enough that they held nothing against me for my part in the uprising. Something not all others do…"

Realising Connor's slightly sad tone, Gavin paused for a moment before speaking again. "Does it bother you?" Connor quirked his head at Gavin's question. "That people still think of you as CyberLife's deviant hunter?"

"Not as much now as it used to, the number that do have that opinion is certainly a minority," Connor admitted. "I do still hold a certain…I'm not quite sure how to phrase it. I am irritated that my past is something that I cannot shake, especially when it was something outside of my control and has no bearing on who I am now."

"Sounds like resentment to me," Gavin offered while draining the rest of his coffee. "And I get that better than you think I might. Reputations can be shitty, but yours hasn't stuck you in nearly as awkward a position as mine has."

"Oh?"

"Yeah, you don't have to deal with your evil twin watching your every move like a fucking hawk," Gavin deadpanned.

That caused Connor to smirk. "Has Richard threatened to bodily harm you yet?"

"Not in so many words, but the fucking choke he put me in that night is not something I'm gonna forget in a hurry." Connor shook his head with a smile. "Fuck knows I'd much rather _not_ deal with that asshole, but it's a little unavoidable since he's fiercely protective of Katie. At least some of her other siblings are decent," Gavin chuckled.

"Only some?" Connor asked in interest.

"I've met them all, but only really spoken to four of them. I've got enough goddamn issues with _one_ sibling, couldn't imagine having twelve of them." Connor laughed lightly, but their privacy was broken when two drunken men burst out of the bar next door in a tangle of limbs. The public around them murmured at the spectacle but no-one was choosing to get involved. Gavin sighed while looking at his watch. "It's only 2 in the goddamn afternoon, didn't reckon we'd end up coming across a wasted punch up." He threw his paper cup at a nearby bin and Connor raised an eyebrow when it landed perfectly. Gavin smirked at the android with a glint in his eye. "You want the old git or the scrawny one?"

"I think I'll leave you the younger one, you may have enough strength to at least deal with him," Connor taunted with a wink.

Gavin snorted. "Bitch." The pair walked away from their standing table and approached the scrapping pair. "All right, break it up you two! No-one needs to deal with your drunken antics this early in the day."

The pair ignored them, to which Connor and Gavin each approached their chosen targets and wrestled them apart. Gavin leant back to avoid a wobbly swing and swiftly yanked the flailing arm up the guy's back, effectively immobilising him as Gavin cuffed that wrist before wrestling the other one into position. "Here's a hint: next time, don't get drunk off your face and try to pick a fight. It never ends well," he snapped as the guy tried in vain to struggle out of Gavin's grip. A yelp of pain from the other man had Gavin's head snapping over, and he was a little bemused by what he found.

Connor was staring, rather unimpressed, at his cuffed man as blue blood ran freely from his nose and on to his shirt. The man was howling in pain, and it didn't take Gavin long to work out what had happened. Evidently, being drunk meant that Connor's man had developed blindness to the fact that Connor was an android – so when he'd slammed his head back into Connor's face in an effort to get away from the detective, he'd collided with the android's plasteel frame rather than bone.

Gavin chuckled in sympathy, he knew from plenty of experience that striking Connor's chassis fucking _hurt._ Connor was _not_ so inclined towards the man's pain, and rather unceremoniously shoved him towards their car, Gavin and his catch right behind.

"You know, it's not quite as satisfying since I didn't do it myself, but I still think the busted nose is a good look on you," Gavin snickered.

Connor turned to give Gavin a blank stare before flipping him off. Gavin just laughed as they bundled their drunken duo into the back of the patrol car.

It didn't take long for them to get on the road, Gavin sniggering at the sight of Connor having some tissues shoved up his nose. "Does that even work on you guys?" he wondered aloud.

"It will at the very least stop the thirium from staining my shirt any more than it already has done until my self-healing kicks in," Connor grumbled back, to which Gavin smirked.

"Hate to break it to you Connor, but I think that one's had it," he supplied usefully, staring at the large blue stream which had run down Connor's grey shirt. It was days like this that Gavin was _so_ glad he went for the ultra-casual look, at least it was a hell of a lot easier to just switch out a t-shirt rather than a full-smart shirt.

Blinking at Connor's temple had Gavin's attention, and the android smiled from behind the wheel as he veered away from their previous trajectory of returning to the precinct. "Hey, what gives?" Gavin asked at seeing them make a very strange turn.

"Apologies, Gavin, but I've just had a message informing me that our supplies are ready," Connor told him with a smirk, deciding to just dump the tissue and let the thirium run until his self-healing protocol stopped it.

At that, Gavin's smile became cruel. "Fucking hell, that was _fast._ Do I even want to know how you managed that? We only came up with this idea two hours ago."

Connor smiled knowingly at him. "It helps to have friends in high places…or ones at the very least that are more than willing to assist us in a prank."

Gavin's face fell as something registered. "Shit, we're going to the Jericho apartments, aren't we?"

"Yes, and?"

"Awww fuck, I'm definitely _not_ going to be able to look at Markus and co without being able to keep a straight face now that I know what those fucking handcuffs were meant for."

Connor just managed to bite his tongue and not inform Gavin that they were _very_ thoroughly used the night before.

 _Just_. His face would have been an absolute picture though.

* * *

As it was, Connor got to see that image anyway since North was the one who handed everything over, with Simon for help. Those two were as subtle as ever – as in, not in the slightest. North was still smirking like a Cheshire cat, and couldn't stop herself from winking at Connor when Gavin wasn't looking, while Simon couldn't help but laugh softly at her antics. It took only a few minutes to load everything up in their patrol car, but even that little time had Gavin's face scrunched in anguish with his cheeks flaming in embarrassment.

North had a talent for humiliating people, and Connor would be lying if he wasn't deriving immense amusement from it at that moment.

Following their plan, Gavin dropped Connor off with everything for constructing their prank in the DPD garage before coming back up top to drag their perps inside to sober up before dealing with them later. They were actually going to come in _very_ handy.

Hank and Katie were both in the precinct at that time, and they both noticed the lack of Connor, especially when Gavin shouted over to his girlfriend. "Yo, Katie!" The android looked up at the calling of her name, scowling when Connor didn't appear. "Got another one in the back, I'm parked out front. Fancy grabbing him for me?"

Katie nodded quickly and went to retrieve the other man as Hank went up to speak with Gavin, following him as he threw his man into a cell. "Gavin, where's Connor?" he asked gruffly.

"At Jericho, getting fixed up," Gavin lied smoothly. "This asshole here got in a lucky shot and did a number on him. Simon said he'd be ready in an hour or so." Well, that was how long Connor had told him he would need to get ready. Once Gavin had started the next phase of their plan that is. He needed to get away from Hank and back to his terminal before anything could really start.

"Fucking hell, that kid has a habit of getting himself hurt," Hank lamented, which had Gavin feeling a _little_ bad about the lie. Well, it was more a stretching of the trust since Connor did get socked in the nose, but he was completely fine. At least when Connor re-appeared their story was going to be believable. "He coming back here afterwards?"

"Yeah, Connor said he'd meander back over once he was ready. Fowler already knows."

Well, that bit was true at least. Connor and Gavin were both convinced that Fowler was just amused at all the pranks by now, and that there probably was no stopping them. If anything, it at least kept he spirits in the precinct high. And having Fowler in the know meant that their little 'hacking' into the DPD systems wasn't going to cause too much alarm.

That's what Gavin hoped, anyway. If this was all some grand scheme to nail him, though, Gavin was going to find a way to string Connor off a building and leave him there, Hank and Katie's wrath be damned.

It was just then that Katie came in with their other drunk, who was grumbling an ask about 'why cops had to be so hot?'. When she shoved him inside rather venomously, Gavin raised an eyebrow while Katie slammed her hand a little aggressively on the hand scanner. Hank and Gavin both watched her in muted amusement at her anger. "Let me guess, he hit on you?" Gavin asked with a smile.

He wouldn't admit it to anyone, but he found a pissed off Katie rather attractive – and since they were keeping their relationship on the down low from the DPD to avoid Internal Affairs crawling all over them, they were making a point of trying to keep their outward appearance to 'touchy feely' friends, as Chris had once called them. At least Katie had the same type of friendship with Connor, so no-one was raising any eyebrows yet. They knew it wouldn't last forever though.

"No," she growled, "he was asking if you or Connor were single. He didn't believe me when I said no." Without another word, she stormed out.

Gavin watched her go in a strange mixture of arousal and hilarity, while Hank just laughed. "Damn, didn't think of Katie as the possessive type," he snorted out, to which Gavin just shook his head fondly while following her out. He deftly strode back to his terminal, and found a message from Connor on his phone.

 _ **I'm ready. Start the upload whenever you're ready, Gavin.**_

 _You sure thisll work? Youre not using this as an excuse to get the book thrown at me are you?_

 _ **I don't think I'll ever get used to your abominable message etiquette. Yes, this will work, I am well aware of how the DPD systems operate now after all my experimentation in there last time. Try to make sure Hank and Katie stay distracted.**_

 _Fuck you just get on with it. Last one aint going to be a problem._

 _ **I somehow doubt you intended that statement as an invitation, Gavin, and I already have plenty of choice of sexual partners. Your interest is noted, however.**_

His cheeks burned and Gavin shuddered while slamming the end of his phone cable into his terminal with an angry snarl.

 _Just fucking do it already dipshit! Fuck did you really just say that?!_

 _ **It will have been worth it for your reaction, I will be sure to download that from the CCTV footage as I root around in the system.**_

 _Oh get fucked asshole!_

 _ **Watch your context, Gavin.**_

"Pain in the ass android…" Gavin grumbled under his breath, watching as his phone flickered before his terminal briefly glitched, confirming Connor's successful upload to the DPD mainframe. After the New Year, Katie had convinced Gavin to modify his phone to be compatible with the android backup system, which was slowly becoming more widespread. While it was intended as a backup space for Katie, it was technically compatible with any android who had Gavin's details in the system – which also included Connor. And they were beginning to realise it had a _very_ handy side effect.

Hacking suddenly became a lot easier when Connor could just upload his mind to a computer system to work around it. Gavin pretended to be filling in paperwork for their two perps as Connor got to work on the alarm system for the fire exit in the garage which linked up to the evidence archives. It was the least likely place for anyone to be, and it meant that Connor could hopefully sneak in undetected.

Eleven seconds later Gavin saw the blueprints of the security system flash up on his terminal, along with the warning of the alarm being deactivated on the correct fire escape. He smirked as the monitor glitched and then his phone, indicating that Connor had extracted himself from the DPD systems successfully. Another message appeared a second later.

 _ **I'm in.**_

 _Not gonna lie dipshit, im envious as fuck about that trick._

Connor didn't answer him, but Gavin didn't need it. He'd find out soon enough if Connor was successful. It took another few minutes before Connor messaged him back, to which Gavin had to fight down a smirk.

 _ **Interrogation Room 1. Have you devised a way to get them there?**_

 _Oh yeah im all over this._

Now he just had to wait.

Fortunately, it wasn't unheard of for the Interrogation Rooms to be locked down for hours at a time, so no-one bat an eyelid when they couldn't access the room. It was just under an hour later that Connor came back in through the main security gate, having quickly exited via the fire escape once more to keep their story consistent. Katie spied the dried thirium on Connor's shirt due to her android sight and her eyes widened when she saw him. "Connor, are you okay?" she asked worriedly.

He smiled at Katie warmly. "I'm fine," Connor reassured her, angling his smile up at Hank when the lieutenant approached. "I simply require a change of clothes is all. Have they sobered up any?"

"Yeah, the pair of them are grumbling like fuck," Hank told him as Gavin approached. "Saw Gavin's report, you two going to interview them now or leave 'em to stew a little while longer? Would serve those assholes right to have a banging headache long term after what they did."

Connor couldn't help but chuckle at Hank's venomous tone. "I think we should handle them now, if for no other reason so that we can all leave on time."

"Well, if you want to tackle them now, why don't we scare them off doin' this again? A little good cop, bad cop routine ought to be fun," Gavin smirked, to which Connor smiled in reply.

"I'm taking the asshole who couldn't keep his trap shut," Katie stated, which had Hank snickering and Gavin smiling fondly. Connor looked at her in confusion before his LED flashed yellow from a data transfer, after which he chuckled.

"I want a crack at the dick who socked Connor, so who we taking first?" Hank told them.

"Tell you what, you two decide who's going to take a swing at who, Connor and I'll get 'em warmed up."

Hank and Katie bought it, and missed how the other two smirked when they went into Interrogation Room 1. "Which side did you set it up in?" Gavin muttered to him.

Connor winked at him. "What makes you think I picked only one? That would be leaving it to chance."

Gavin had barely smiled when they heard a screech and shout from the room in question, to which he began cackling. "I'm guessing that was you…?" The android continued smiling, and the pair began howling in laughter when Hank and Katie re-emerged from the room with twin scowls.

Unbeknownst to them, Connor had set up tarpaulins with a large amount of slime along the roof of each room, held aloft by ropes and hooks, and rigged so that any of the hooks can be ripped outwards to dump the contents on whoever lay below. Watching the CCTV footage, Connor was able to see when Hank and Katie were in an appropriate position in the interrogation side, and let loose. Both of them were now covered head to toe in fluorescent green slime.

"Holy shit, you set that up perfect, dipshit!" Gavin sniggered, laughing harder at feeling his phone vibrate like crazy in his pocket. Safe to say Katie was _pissed_ , though he knew she'd cool off quick enough. Hank and Katie would have been well aware that Connor and Gavin would be looking for revenge.

"You lying bastard, Reed," Hank seethed. "You had me worrying for nothing!"

"Oi! Connor did get it in the face from the old shit in there!" Gavin argued. "But he's an android, so all he got was a bloodied nose. Katie's android scanners will prove it!" Katie let out a long breath as she nodded to Hank, confirming Gavin's story. "But, yeah, may have hammed it up a little. Needed a reason for you two not to go looking for him for an hour."

"Speaking of which, how the hell did you even set all that up, Connor?" Katie asked them while deciding to hug Chris from behind as the other officer laughed in his chair, earning a groan of annoyance in return.

"It helps to be intimately aware of the DPD's computer systems," Connor said with a smile, which had Katie shaking her head. While the backup system was meant only as an emergency solution, it was having added advantages that the androids had not considered up until that point.

Hank and Katie went down to get a change of clothes after being subjected to a few more teasing jibes, while Connor and Gavin started setting up the interrogation room for their drunken idiots. They weren't cruel enough to deprive the pair of that fun after their prank.

While they were at it, Connor received a few more messages from Alice with details of her 'grand plan', asking Connor if it was viable. It was certainly possible…if incredibly ambitious.

Connor was up for the challenge because it was _far_ too good an opportunity to pass up.

 _ **Alice, this is an ingenious idea, but it will possibly take several weeks to set it all up. Are you sure this is what you want to do?**_

 _Yeah! I really want to! You think we can do it?_

 _ **It will require some help, but I think we can expand this with said help. Would you object to me bringing others in to increase the amusement factor? I don't want to hijack your prank.**_

 _Nope, seeing others in this situation would be fun! Who do you want to involve?_

 _ **We'll need Simon and Richard's help for this one…and I think we should have Simon and company be part of the testing, don't you agree?**_

 _Wait, do you want to get Markus, North, Simon and Josh too? Wow, that would be so cool to get all six of them!_

 _ **Agreed, and as much as I would love to involve Katie and Richard, I don't think that would be possible. Still, six people would be plenty.**_

 _This is so cool! How are we going to do this?_

Connor smirked with a glint in his eyes.

 _ **Give me time, I'll come up with something. Fire me all your plans, I'm at your command.**_

He laughed quietly at Alice's giddy reply.

 _This is gonna be so fun!_

 _ **I couldn't agree more.**_


	36. Backfire

Well, it took me a while, but I've finally got this chapter done. Sorry it's a little late, a personal incident meant that writing had to take a back seat for a while.

Special thanks for reviews: **AnUnorthodoxDecision, xNarielx, HK800** and **lordvaatithewindmage.**

Not so much story this time, just one long and hilarious prank. I'm fulfilling the most requested item here – a prank gone wrong! And this one goes _spectacularly_ wrong. Enjoy.

* * *

"So, what is this thing about exactly?" North asked while she, Markus and Josh followed Simon up to the more secluded testing block of the Jericho apartments. The group settlement had expanded right before the first anniversary of the android uprising, with Markus managing to secure three extra buildings for the androids to inhabit. Their numbers in Jericho continued to grow after all the progress Markus had made in securing android rights in the city, and one of the new buildings had been dedicated to various android improvements and customizations.

"Well, Connor came to me with an idea after the prank he pulled at the precinct a couple of weeks ago, and it had some merit to it," Simon explained with a smile as he interfaced with the lock on the front of the building, granting him access. "Thanks to his various 'experiments' with the wireless backup system, he's come to some important realisations about its practicality. After sending across a few conclusions, he suggested a little test to see how viable it will be for the entire population."

Markus scowled slightly at Simon as they continued walking. "Simon, we agreed that the backup system was not something that could become public knowledge yet. The moral implications behind it are a stepping stone too far right now."

"That wasn't what I was meaning, Markus," Simon went on as he directed them down to a smaller testing space which he used for personal projects – mostly pranks if he was to be honest with himself. Given how often he received requests from especially Hank and Connor (though Markus and North were not above pulling a few dirty tricks to get their noses in), it was little wonder he managed to get any other work done. "We're all in agreement that it can't become widespread yet, but that doesn't mean we can't experiment.

"Besides, Connor intended this as a help to the other androids involved in law enforcement. More are joining, and none of them are as advanced as Connor is in terms of bio-components and processing power. As it is right now, only he and Richard can use the backup system, but after what happened last year he is adamant that the option should be there for others too."

"Well, it's worth contemplating, even it will only be experimental right now," Josh noted. "What was his suggestion?"

"Since most androids have connection links via the mental network, Connor suggested using smaller servers and a central booster to act as backup hub. It could only be used for small groups right now, but the pooled processing power would allow android consciousnesses to be spread across the members. In theory-"

"Everyone could store different fragments of an android's consciousness, and the pieces could then be recombined into as a whole. It's ingenious," Markus smiled.

"Connor said it was Richard's idea. After running it past him originally, Richard suggested I build a prototype off his design while he constructed the code. He _is_ unparalleled when it comes to programming and theories."

"For fuck's sake don't say that around that asshole, his ego's big enough already," North muttered sourly.

"He's still inferior compared to one of his predecessors though," Markus winked over to her, which made North smirk. Reminding the RK900 that he'd lost to Markus in the race months ago always did wonders in bringing Richard down a peg or two. It never lasted, however.

They finally reached Simon's lab and the group were surprised to see Kara and Luther inside already, along with Connor. The young family had moved back to Detroit only two weeks ago, and were as yet undecided on whether to take up residence in the apartments. For the time being, they were staying with Rose on the outskirts until the chose where to live.

The entrance of the quartet had Connor, Kara and Luther break up from their conversation to smile at the others. "Connor? What's going on?" Josh asked in confusion.

Connor smiled while stepping back slightly to properly greet the new arrivals. "Simon messaged me saying that he was going to be testing out the booster system today," he started while gesturing over to Kara and Luther. "I was already out visiting Kara, Luther and Alice when I received the news. After mentioning it to them, they expressed an interest in coming along to see it in action."

Kara beamed alongside Luther. "Connor explained to us about how it could be used to help save android minds, or even transfer them between bodies. It's brilliant."

"This is meant to be low-key, Connor," Markus scolded the RK800.

Unperturbed, Connor shrugged. "Kara and Luther are trustworthy, Markus, and Luther has expressed an interest in maybe becoming more involved in the fight for android rights. With that in mind, it seemed wrong to not inform them."

"Hey, where's the squirt?" North asked while looking around. "You didn't leave her tied up somewhere as part of a prank, did you?" she finished while crossing her arms and aiming an accusatory glance at Connor.

Luther chuckled while Kara sniggered. Connor sighed as Luther elaborated. "No, Alice is staying with Rose for the afternoon. She is 'grounded' after deciding it would be a clever idea to mix some blue paint with the thirium pouch which we gave Connor when he visited."

North and Simon laughed while Josh and Markus smiled. "You do realise that you've had it now, don't you Connor?" Markus smirked. "With them now back in Detroit permanently, you're going to have no peaceful days."

"I barely had one of those to begin with anyway, Markus, it makes little difference to me," Connor shot back. "At least if I am to have minimal time on my hands, it is for a good reason."

"So, how did paint taste, Connor?" Simon teased.

"I couldn't possibly comment, Simon, but my systems were certainly in a state of shock for a while."

The others chuckled, at which Connor had to suppress a smirk of his own. Everything was coming together perfectly.

While most of what they had been told was true, they bit that they didn't know what that Connor had helped Alice pick out the specific paint for that prank. It caused him minimal fuss, and it got the desired reaction in that Kara would ground her – and thus leave her out of range for the 'real' prank.

Telling Richard the truth behind the reason Connor wanted him involved and leaving him clear was a small price to pay for Alice to see the results of her brilliant idea. He was currently live streaming his footage to the young android, and Alice was excitedly watching from Rose's house while speaking to him mentally.

 _ **Oh wow, they really don't suspect anything! Connor, is it bad that you're able to lie so well?**_

 _It was a skill I was given as part of my programming, should I be required to go undercover. There are occasions where it has its uses. I feel I should be concerned about you noticing and potentially mimicking this._

 _ **Do you really think I could get away with lying to my Mom?**_

Connor heard the sarcasm in her voice. _For your sake, I advise you not to try. Parents can be ruthless when they realise you have lied to them._

 _ **Yeah, I remember what happened to you at New Year, Connor. Lesson learned.**_

He sighed mentally while smiling outwardly. Alice wasn't the only one excited to see what was going to happen here.

"So, you going to show off your fancy globe then, Simon? This this looks weird as fuck," North said while staring intently at the metal sphere on the table. A globe was an accurate description, as it was roughly thirty centimetres in diameter while it glowed a pale blue; not too dissimilar from the blue of their biocomponents.

"It's loosely based off the early designs for android mind palaces, though the internal structure is vastly more up-to-date. It is far from a final design as this is only a prototype and I wanted to see how the concept plays out," Simon explained while slapping North's hand to stop her from pressing the wrong button. North glowered at him in return.

"How does it work then?" Kara asked while taking a closer look.

"Once I turn it on, it'll operate on a specific frequency that androids can tune into with the right encryption key," Simon explained while pressing in a panel on the side. Everyone noticed the hum which emanated through the room while some characters flickers up on the side of the sphere. "That's the key, it is only visible to those who are in range of the device, so it's almost impossible to hack."

Spying his cue, Connor spoke up. "Simon, didn't Richard theorise that the more minds that were linked to this device, within limits, would reduce the strain of any potential backup retrieval?"

"Yes, he did. Once the mental data is compressed and separated, the more mind palaces that it is shared across allows for a smoother recomposition," Simon said while flicking several other switches.

"Then maybe we should all link up to it? We are all different models after all, it would be useful to see how all of our systems react to it." Connor hoped they would all join in, or at the very least Kara and Luther would. It was intended for them after all, the others would all just be a bonus.

Markus, North and Josh all shared agreeable looks which Kara and Luther nodded to each other. "It would be interesting to take part," said Luther while coming to a stop near the device, everyone else crowding around it to see the key required to link up to the network. Inside Connor's head, he could hear Alice's giddy laugh.

 _ **Yes! It's going to happen! Connor, are you linking up too?**_

 _Of course, I need to execute the trigger. Richard wrote the code to only work in pairs and the executor should be exempt. What happens beyond that…well, he never told me all the details, so this should be interesting._

 _ **This is going to be amazing! I can't wait to see my Mom and Dad freaking out when they realise what's happened.**_

 _You are a devious child, Alice, and I love it._

Alice giggled and Connor watched Simon play around with the device some more as all the androids joined the localised network. All of them blinked away the brief dizziness of the new connection after which Simon smiled. "Okay, looks like we've all linked up successfully. Who wants to be the test run?"

"I'm the most logical choice," Connor argued. "I'm already backed up on the existing network, so if it malfunctions in any way I can be restored from there. The risk is minimal for me."

The others shared a brief look before Josh spoke up. "You make a good point, Connor. Okay, what do we need to do?"

"I'll upload myself to the system, and everything should just transition from there." Connor locked eyes with Simon and smiled at him. "You all set?"

"Ready to go, Connor. Whenever you're ready."

Nodding once, Connor closed his eyes to keep up the pretence while readying the command. Just as he triggered it, however, his whole system glitched and the others all yelped in shock as well.

 _ **Con-r? What's-? Ar- ok-y? Con-**_

Everyone's systems went into a hard reboot as all seven of them collapsed.

* * *

Markus groaned as the first of the group to come to, a sea of red errors filling his vision before he even opened his eyes. He blinked them away in annoyance while looking around at the rest of the group, seeing how everyone was still out cold. His eyes first landed on Kara and Luther, the female android crumpled on top of Luther having keeled over in a dead faint. They then drifted to North and Josh, who were slumped against the edge of the table after trying falling against it, before coming across-

He froze rigid at seeing the last pair. Connor was lying half beneath…himself?

A quick look down at his body confirmed that Markus was no longer in his own body: he was in Simon's.

" _What?!"_ he screeched, recoiling at the distressed tone of his (Simon's) voice. The sound was enough to jar some of the others, to which Kara, Luther, Josh and Connor all awoke. Or at least, what appeared to be them. Within seconds it was clear that he wasn't the only one displaced.

Kara and Luther had barely taken a look at each other before springing apart in a frantic shove, while Josh violently shoved North away from him with a shout. He continued to back away, panicked as Connor stared at him in shock. "Wait…what? How-I-?"

Recognising the speech pattern, Markus pushed himself up in Simon's body and crawled over to the inhabitant of Connor's body. "Simon?" he whispered cautiously.

The other android nodded slowly, looking around in shock. "Yes…Who-"

"It's Markus, I'm- I'm in your body, somehow, and you're in Connor's." Eyes wide, Simon looked down to see that he was now inside the RK800's form. Markus looked over at the others and saw that North(?) had now come to, and was staring at Josh in astonishment, while Kara and Luther were staring warily at each other, speaking quietly.

The bodily reactions gave him a clue as to who was in each body. "Kara?" Sure enough, Luther looked over at him unsteadily, while Kara reached out in support, evidently realising who was in the body. "You two have switched with each other," he said in realisation, before turning his attention to North and Josh. "North?"

"Yeah," came the wary response from Josh's body, at which North's eyes widened.

"You've done a direct switch too," Simon said in Connor's voice, which meant that-

" _Shit_."

Markus and Simon turned at the curse to see Markus' body sit up from where it had been partially pinning Connor's body, watching as he sat up. "Connor?" Markus asked, which was incredibly disconcerting when he was looking at himself.

"What the hell happened?!" North demanded, and the aggressive tone was decidedly alien coming from Josh's voice.

"It looks like we've somehow switched bodies, but I don't understand how," Simon said slowly, pushing himself up to take a look at the device on the table. It had now stopped glowing, and there was one panel sparking away. "Uh oh…"

"What does 'uh oh' mean, exactly?" Kara asked, the slightly panicked edge weird to hear in Luther's tones.

"Erm…the hub has shorted out."

Silence.

"…Hold on, are you saying that we're _stuck_ like this?!" North yelled, at which Josh scowled at her for the reaction.

"Maybe, maybe not. There must have been a malfunction of sorts in the programming. I'll just-" Simon stopped abruptly as he saw an incoming call from Alice appear on his visual display, at which he looked around before remembering where his target was. "Connor, why would Alice be trying to contact you instead of her parents?"

Connor groaned awkwardly. "You'd better answer her, Simon. She'll be panicking."

"Panicking? Why would Alice be worried?" Luther asked suspiciously.

"She's going to know that something has gone a bit wrong when my connection to her abruptly died," Connor said slowly, waiting for the inevitable.

It was Markus who realised first. "Connor, why were you speaking with Alice, unless…" His eyes narrowed at Connor. "What did you do?"

Connor winced. "We might have hijacked the hub…"

North glowered at him. "'We', being?"

After giving a long sigh, Connor explained. "Alice mentioned to me weeks ago that she had an idea to prank her parents. She asked me if there would be any way of making them switch bodies temporarily after hearing about how Richard and I did it months ago. After mentioning it to Richard, he informed me about the booster hub idea he'd come up with after recent events. And it kind of developed from there…"

Any other time, the group would have ripped the shit out of Connor for how awkward he was being – their current predicament overrode that thought, however. "So, let me get this straight," North started. "Alice asked you to help switch her parents' bodies, and you decided it would be a clever idea to get _all_ of us involved?"

"It is _me,"_ Connor said in his defence. "Since when can I resist involving everyone in a prank?"

Simon rolled his eyes while studying the sphere. "So do you know what went wrong, Connor?"

"I have a suspicion that one specific part of the program failed. Richard designed the software he wrote to switch minds specifically to alternate in pairs. It appears to have worked with Kara and Luther, and North and Josh. However, I think the part which was meant to exclude me as the executor of the program was ineffective, so when the hub tried to switch all three minds which were left rather than just ignore the last one-"

"It overloaded when it attempted to handle the three-way switch, something it wasn't designed for," Markus realised. Studying the sparking device, he turned to look at Simon. "Have you got in contact with Alice?"

"I have," Simon confirmed. "She's being extremely apologetic, feeling that this her fault."

"Oh, Alice," Kara sighed and put her head in her hand, which looked rather odd on Luther's body. "I don't blame her for this, it's just an unfortunate accident." Her eyes sharpened on Connor. " _You_ , however…

"I've not seen you discouraging her antics," Connor shot back moodily. "And I was just the helping hand for this!"

"Guys! Not the time," Simon said while analysing the sphere, blinking in surprise when something occurred to him. "Wait, Connor, you said Richard designed this program? Do you think he'd be able to help reconfigure it to reverse the process?"

"In theory, Kara, Luther, North and Josh should be able to simply switch back. _We're_ going to be the problem," Connor said while internally praying they wouldn't need Richard's help. It wasn't that he was loathe to ask the RK900…

It was what was involved in _reaching_ him right now that was going to be the truly embarrassing bit.

"Because we switched in a triangle," Markus realised with a sigh. "All right, first things first. Simon, can you get this working again?"

"Potentially, but I do have the slight hiccup of not being in my own body right now," Simon said slowly. "I have all the schematics saved in my mind palace, I will need to reference those. Connor, if you would please?"

"Wait, you can access memories?" Connor asked abruptly. "I asked Richard to make sure that wasn't possible, to preserve people's privacy."

"I can access Luther's," Kara confirmed.

"And I with Kara's," Luther went on.

A look to North and Josh gave them the same answer but when Josh looked first at North, and then between the three of them in complete shock, it made them all freeze.

Oh. Dear…

"Well," he said unsteadily, "that was something I could have gone _without_ knowing." North and Markus both groaned loudly while Simon winced. Connor was practised enough now not to react outwardly, but even he was horribly embarrassed.

Coughing awkwardly, Simon nodded over for Connor to join him so that the two could interface and share the schematics required for Simon to start the repairs. "Okay, well, the good news is that I think I can get this back together pretty quickly, I have all the parts for it here," Simon breathed out in relief. "Nothing too critical has been damaged. The bad news is that I don't think I can stop this happening again without the software being changed, and I what I have seen of the programming tells me it is very advanced. I wouldn't know where to start."

Simon saw Connor with his eyes shut and braced for the news, and smiled apologetically. "I think you're going to have to bring Richard in on this one, Connor."

"If only it were that easy," Connor whined while staring up at the ceiling in annoyance.

"Where is he?" Josh asked slowly.

"China, and there's only one person who has been given authorisation to contact him outside of the FBI."

"Which is?" North said impatiently. Connor just stared at her, and then the penny dropped. "Oh hell, of course it is…"

"Who?" Kara asked.

"We're about to become the gossip of the DPD, aren't we?" Markus groaned.

Connor reluctantly agreed with him while placing a call to their only possible source of help, hoping that she was available.

 _ **Markus, is everything all right? It's not like you to get in touch with me via call.**_

Oh, of course. He was inside Markus' body right now, his serial number would have flagged on Katie's HUD. This was just great…

 _Katie, we need you to come down to the Jericho ASAP. We've got a bit of an emergency…_

 _ **Shit, what's happening? Is everyone all right? Is Connor okay? I know he's down there with you.**_

He was touched by the instant concern. _Everyone is fine, Katie, but we're…Shit, how do I explain this?_

 _ **Markus, are you okay?**_

 _Not quite, Katie. We've had a little…body swapping accident._

 _ **Very funny, Markus. That's not possible.**_

Connor sighed in his head. _You've got a date with Gavin tonight at the cinema, where you are hoping to convince him to see that new action film which has your fancy, while you know he secretly wants to watch a romantic comedy._

He could practically hear Katie's processors at work.

… _ **Connor?**_

 _For the record, and I can't believe I'm saying this, I think Gavin's pick is better: but that might be down to my preference for terrible humour._

 _ **Holy shit, what happened to you all?!**_

 _That's a long story…_

* * *

It took just over an hour for help to arrive – and, of course, Katie didn't come alone. Connor wasn't the least surprised to see not only Hank, but also Gavin tag along. Evidently things were quiet at the DPD today if all three of them managed to appear, since they were all in separate partnerships as part of the last segment of their HR partner swapping exercise. One look confirmed that all of their temporary partners – Ben for Katie, Tina for Hank and Chris for Gavin, knew what was going on. Connor was extremely glad that he'd been exempt from it that week since he'd been helping the DPD run an induction course for new android recruits.

No doubt the three new arrivals would be quickly spreading word of this mishap through the precinct, however.

Fan. Tastic

Indeed, when the trio walked into the development lab, Hank had a beaming smile on his face while Katie was biting her lip to avoid giggling. Gavin was nowhere near that controlled and burst out laughing when he saw the indignant faces of the group. "Fucking androids, only you lot could manage to get yourselves into this mess," he stated in complete amusement.

"Zip it, asshole," North snapped, which caught Hank and Katie unawares since she was still in Josh's body.

"There's everyone's favourite bitch," Hank sniggered with a smirk. "Not enjoying yourself in there?"

"Oh fuck you, old man," she huffed, definitely not in the mood.

Katie's attention diverted to the trio of Connor, Simon and Markus and she couldn't help but laugh when she locked eyes with Connor. "Sorry; but you've got to admit, this is pretty damn funny," was her giggly apology.

"Remind me to be amused once we solve this mess," Connor grumped back to her. "Have you had any luck in contacting your brother?"

"Nothing yet, but Rich did warn me it would be sporadic," she informed him with an apologetic smile.

Just as she said that, Hank came over smirking. "Well, it was about time that one of your pranks went wrong," he said smugly. "Does this teach you not to get in over your head?"

"It's Connor, he's always going to try and outdo himself," Markus stated while earning a glare from the android currently inhabiting his body.

"Well, Markus has a point, son," Hank chuckled. "You do like to be ambitious."

"This wasn't even _my_ idea!" Connor moaned. "I'd maybe understand if I came up with this one, but I was just helping Alice out!"

The others laughed at Connor's indignation as Simon spoke up. "Okay, I think I've got this working again. Shall we give it a try?"

As Simon got to work switching Kara and Luther back, Hank pulled Connor aside to speak to him quietly. "You all right, Connor?"

Connor huffed while looking at the others. "I'm annoyed that of all the pranks to go wrong, it's this one," he admitted. "I maybe wouldn't feel so bad if it was one of my own, but Alice trusted me with this and it's completely backfired." Connor sighed sadly. "I don't want this to put her off in the future."

"Nah, I don't think it will," Hank reassured him. "This was an accident, and we'll make sure Alice knows that. We won't let this spoil the kid's fun. It's pretty adorable seeing you encourage her and I'd hate to think this would deprive you two of that. Now all we've got to do is get everyone back where they belong."

"Thanks, Hank," Connor smiled back in relief.

"Hey, this might be an inappropriate question, but are you finding out anything interesting while in Markus' body? You know, memory-wise, since I know you and Richard blocked each others' when you did it before," Hank asked.

"Actually, that's already caused a problem…" Connor winced, before continuing. "Although, I'm pretty sure that I've found out what Markus and crew are planning to use against me next," he finished with a smile.

"Oh?" Hank smirked. "Fancy catching them out with it?"

"Did you expect anything less?" he smiled back, committing everything he could see to memory.

He couldn't wait to see all their faces when this went so wrong for them.


	37. Watch Your Back

So, er, hi guys!

Sheesh, what a ridiculous delay between updates, I'm so sorry! My personal life has just taken a rather insane turn and I'm now packing for a move in only two months! As such, I'm not sure I can guarantee an update every week for now. I think you're more looking at every two weeks (sorry, I'll try and be more frequent, but no promises).

Special thanks for reviews: **xNarielx, AnUnorthodoxDecision, ConnorFromDBH, HK800** and **lordvaatithewindmage.**

Er…this is attempt number FOUR at chapter. Plans A, B and C were all complete failures, so I'm going to have to go back to the drawing board on them – this was something that came to me on a bit of a whim. I still think it's pretty funny, and we're getting to see a _very_ unusual combination here. Hope you all enjoy!

* * *

"This is a bad idea."

"Shut up, will you? Panicking ain't going to help!" Hank lectured while glaring at the android on his right.

"And yet I can't help but be worried about the consequences of all this! Whose idea was this anyway?!" he exclaimed while pressing a hand to his forehead.

"Look, I agree this ain't exactly an ideal solution, but we've got to do something! Would you like to tell Fowler exactly _why_ Connor hasn't shown up for yet another day, cause he's already suspicious! You and I both know that would _not_ be a fun conversation."

A scathing glare was Hank's answer. "Of course not."

"Well then, stop getting yourself into a twist and play it cool." A tired sigh from the android next to him had Hank grimacing in sympathy. "You can do this, Simon."

It had now been three days since the little 'body-swapping' mishap, and while it had turned out to be straightforward in swapping back the pairs of Kara/Luther and North/Josh, even adding another person to try and trigger two new pairs had been impossible. Despite the system being dysfunctional, it had rejected any new swaps until all the displaced minds had got back to their own bodies first…and therein lay their problem.

Katie had been unable to get in contact with Richard, still, and no-one was confident enough to mess with the software out of the fear of making things worse.

As such, Connor, Markus and Simon were still in the wrong bodies – and it was causing a few problems.

 _ **Simon, you'll be fine. We're connected and I will walk you through everything you need to know. Hank, Gavin and Katie are all going to be keeping an eye out for you today, and you should be doing nothing more than paperwork after Katie told Fowler that I was suffering from a faulty system upgrade.**_

Simon was not reassured by the familiar voice in his head. _Connor, I really don't like this. What's going to happen if anyone realises that I'm not you? Not to mention that you and Markus are kind of going to be a bit busy yourselves!_

It was true, Simon wasn't the only one who was playing the part of someone else today. Markus had been due to give a speech at a fundraising event, and his presence would be key to securing more financial support for the androids as they fought to institute more laws. Needing that money to fund their legal efforts, there was little choice but for Connor to go in Markus' stead – and the pair of them would be linked up just as Connor and Simon were at that moment.

 _ **The event isn't until the afternoon, I'll keep the line open for if you need me; and you know me pretty well by now, Simon. You can pull this off. At least your sense of humour is very similar to mine, that will make life a lot easier.**_

Simon chuckled internally. _Well, that is a plus I suppose._

 _ **You're in good hands, don't worry. The day will pass swiftly enough.**_

"You all good there?" Hank asked while placing a reassuring hand on Simon's shoulder. Even days later, he still found himself a little weirded out by the fact that it was actually Simon inside Connor's body. 'Creepy android shit' as Gavin had put it.

"Yes, I think so," Simon told him nervously. "As good as I can be, really."

"Hey!" The pair turned to their right in the car park to see Katie waving over at them after stepping out of Gavin's car and Hank barked out a laugh at her new hair colour. Offended, Katie crossed her arms at him as she came to stop next to the duo, Gavin only a few steps behind. "What's so funny?" she asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not your finest choice of colour this time, Katie," Hank snickered while Simon gave her a funny look.

She hmphed in annoyance before rooting around in her pocket and growling. "Gav, what the hell have you done with my phone?" she glared over at her partner, who shrugged innocently.

"Not me this time, the car maybe?" Gavin held his hands up before nodding back to the vehicle. "Never thought I'd come across a clumsy android, but you manage to prove me wrong, Katie," he joked while holding the keys out for her.

"Yeah, I wonder whose fault that is," she deadpanned while taking the keys. "Probably the sadistic trio of my boyfriend, brother and best friend who get way too much fun out of messing with my gyroscope and optics."

"Well, at least your nickname of 'Bambi' is well earned, Katie," Hank shouted after her, to which the older man laughed as Katie flipped him off in reply. Gavin shook his head fondly as Hank stared him down knowingly. "What did you do to her?"

Gavin gawped in, completely over the top, shock. "Why do you think I've got something to do with this?" he asked, scandalized. The glee in his eyes gave him away though.

"Gavin…" Simon said slowly, to which the human squirmed a little.

"Dammit, how do you manage to do that _exact_ same tone of voice that Connor does, Simon?" he grumbled before looking over his shoulder to see Katie still rooting around in the car. Smirking, he turned back to the other two. "She did just comment on how Richard, Connor and I kind of take turns messing around with her."

"Come on, Gavin, what colour does she think her hair is?" Simon pressed on.

"Light violet, a bit like the shade that became a craze for older women to have for a while instead of grey hair."

"And when exactly are you going to tell her that it's fluorescent yellow?" Hank asked slowly. "How does that even work anyway?"

The detective smirked while reaching into his jacket pocket, and both Hank and Simon bit down a chuckle as Gavin pulled out a phone and snapped a shot of Katie with it. "It's easy when you can just reprogram her colour spectrometer to swap two shades over. She'll realise what I've done as soon as I show her this," Gavin told them while turning his attention to his partner. "Looking for this, Katie?"

Katie stopped her search and turned upwards at Gavin's shout, finding him idly twirling her phone between his finger and thumb. Hank choked back a loud laugh while Simon made no effort to hide his giggling at her irritated scowl. Gavin kept smiling at her and turned the screen around as she came to a stop right next to him. "For the record, I've seen you with worse than this," he went on, smirking even broader.

Her mouth fell open as she stared at the picture for a second before aiming a (half) playful swipe at Gavin's head, which he was obviously practiced at dodging for how quickly he dove out of the way. "You asshole!" she exclaimed. "Have I been like this the whole time since I changed it? How did you even know I'd be picking this colour next?!"

"I didn't, but you've had that little flip in your spectrometer for a few weeks now," he teased. "It was only a matter of time before you went back to one of your favourite colours."

Katie scowled at him before shifting the colour slightly, now a pure white instead of going for what, she thought, was the off-white. Gavin snapped another photo and turned it for her to see, at which Katie was satisfied with the colour and took her phone back with a final stare. Gavin just winked at her, earning a half amused, half irritated sigh from the android.

Hank couldn't help but smile at the playfulness between them, and Simon too was grinning.

"I didn't realise the DPD had such time on their hands so as to lark around in the car park."

The Lieutenant's attention snapped to the very unwelcome company approaching from behind Gavin and Katie, and he had to suppress a smirk at how Katie rolled her eyes. Everyone turned to watch as Perkins sidled up to stand between Katie and Simon, though for once the man didn't carry that infuriating arrogance. He actually seemed rather annoyed.

"Agent Perkins, how nice to see you," Hank greeted sarcastically. "You're a day early, we take the trash out tomorrow."

Gavin snorted while Katie had to bite her lip to keep a straight face. Simon had a tiny smile as Perkins glared at Hank. "I am not here for your games, Lieutenant. I'm here to tell one of your detectives to stop interfering in official FBI business." Perkins' look swiftly shifted to Katie, to which the android's eyes widened in surprise.

"Excuse me?" she asked, offended. "How am I interfering in any FBI business?"

"By making repeated and unauthorised attempts to contact Richard," Perkins clarified. "He is on a very sensitive mission and your messages are an unwanted distraction."

Katie glared at the FBI agent coldly. "Well, contrary to your assumptions, Agent Perkins, I am now my brother's two-way emergency contact, not our mother. As such, I _am_ authorised to try and contact him if he is needed, and we _do_ need his expertise for something. It may not be life-threatening, but it is a serious situation."

"Well, that is an oversight which will need to be corrected. I will not have an android as Richard's contact, the risk of the passing of classified material is too high," Perkins sneered.

"Are you listening to yourself, Perkins?" Hank exclaimed. "You're seriously insinuating that one of your agents and one of my officers would conspire to steal classified information? If you even knew Richard _half_ how I do, and trust me, I really _don't_ know that ass well, you'd know that's utter bollocks."

"Not to mention that to suggest such a thing of Katie is appalling, she's one of the most dedicated officers in Detroit!" Simon added.

"You ain't doing a very good job of putting aside your prejudice towards androids, Perkins, and I'll make sure that Fowler bars you from setting foot inside the precinct until Katie's got a written and public apology from you," the older man snarled.

Perkins chuckled. "Ah, such loyalty, how pretty. Nevertheless, I cannot waste any more time with you lot. Ta-ta." With that, the man sauntered off.

"What a fucking asshole," Hank growled before turning his attention back to Katie. He wasn't surprised to see she had been pulled into a hug by Gavin, but he was a little shocked when he saw tears in her eyes. "You okay, kid?"

Katie pulled back after a couple of seconds and roughly scrubbed away the moisture at her eyes. "I'm fine, I just want to do something," she replied lowly. Hank chanced a look over at Gavin and raised an eyebrow. The detective was _seething_ , though he was doing a good job of not letting anything on outwardly.

"You head on in, Katie. We'll be right behind you," Hank told her, to which she marched on ahead determinedly. Once she was clear, Hank stared at Gavin knowingly. "Lemme guess, you didn't say anything cause you were trying too hard not to swing for that bastard's face?"

"Good shot," Gavin snapped back. "Wish I had the same relationship with Fowler as you do, think he'd managed to make sure I keep my job if I shoot the fucker in the leg?"

"I think we'd be able to make a good case of justifiable force, that's for sure." Hank then noticed that Simon was suspiciously silent. "Shit, sorry, Simon. Things aren't usually like that around here."

Simon looked up at them in mild surprise. "Oh! No, that's not what was on my mind. I was just discussing that little 'encounter' with Connor."

Hank's eyes widened. "Wait, were you two-"

Just then, Gavin's phone rang rather loudly, and he stared at the number in mild surprise before it twigged _why_ he was being called by the RK200 (supposedly). He answered while throwing on the speaker. "Take it you heard all that bullshit, dipshit?"

" _ **Yes."**_ It was easy to tell from the tone that Connor was _not_ happy. _**"As did Markus once I patched him in."**_

"Oh boy, I hope Perkins is gonna get his horoscope read to him," Hank smirked.

" _ **How's Katie?"**_

"Pretty upset, unsurprisingly," Simon told him. "I know you guys probably deal with a lot of anti-android paranoia, but that was a rather personal attack."

"I think the kid's gonna be a little shaken today," Hank said sadly. "Know any way to cheer her up?"

" _ **As much as I wish I could, I'm not really an option today, Markus and I are going to be far too busy."**_

"Yeah, you might be, but we ain't," Gavin told him. "If you've got an idea rattling around in that head of yours, Connor, I'll do it." His smile grew cruel as he looked at the duo opposite him. "Besides, I don't think your old man and Simon will be too opposed to some well-earned payback."

As it turned out, Connor didn't have an idea – but Gavin and Simon came up with one on their way into the precinct, courtesy of Hank.

* * *

The bullpen might look busy on first appearances, but if anyone came over and took a close look at what was going on, they'd be in for a surprise. Word had quickly spread around of Perkins' actions outside that morning, and they suddenly had a whole squad of people willing to pitch in and help for some payback. Since they were a police station, at least half the people there did have to keep working – but half of the partnerships had instead been dedicated to the task of ensuring Perkins got what he deserved.

Katie was relatively unaware of the buzz around, choosing to focus instead on her work. It was a somewhat shitty time for it to be the last few days of their little partner swapping exercise, but at least it meant that she wasn't suspicious when Gavin was conspicuously absent for a portion of the day. If she'd been paying closer attention, however, she would have noticed that he was without Chris and had instead vanished with Simon.

Hank reluctantly made himself the 'responsible' half of himself and Tina, allowing her to become one of Gavin and Simon's accomplices. He still wasn't convinced that this idea of theirs was going to work out at such short notice, but he was damned if he wouldn't help them out. As it so happened, it left him in the perfect position to keep an eye out on when Perkins was leaving Fowler's office.

Two and a half hours in, it didn't look like the situation was going to diffuse any time soon. Hank had the feeling this had suddenly grown a lot bigger than Perkins getting Fowler to stop Katie from contacting Richard.

He clearly wasn't the only one surprised, as seen from when Gavin and Simon reappeared, the two looking at the glass rather perplexed. To be honest, having Gavin take Simon for the day was probably the best thing that could have happened, it made it a lot less likely that someone would discover that something was amiss.

And, now that he was really thinking about it, he hadn't seen Tina for quite a while either, which was odd considering the absolute frenzy she'd been in while trying to fill out paperwork. Given that they didn't have anything urgent on the go, he could only assume that it had something to do with whatever the other two had in mind.

Maybe he should have actually asked them what they were up to, he had the feeling that this might go wrong…

Another twenty minutes later saw Fowler's office door slam open, the glass shuddering under the force, and a very unhappy Perkins storming out. Fowler was looking furious behind him, so whatever had been discussed got heated at some point. As Perkins began stalking out, Hank's eyebrows rose when he noticed Gavin nod over to Simon, whose LED began cycling yellow.

 _Oh boy, here we go._

Hank's eyebrows rose when he saw Gavin stride over casually to the cells behind Fowler's office and gesture subtly for someone to come out. That was when he saw Tina appear with one of their perps – someone that everyone in the station was well acquainted with for being a serial thief. "Stevie the Thievie" was an infamous nickname – Ben was never going to live letting that one slip on a drunken night out. What she wanted with him was an interesting question.

Tina led the way with her charge, Gavin and Simon hanging back just far enough to not be noticeable. Unable to help himself, Hank sent a quick text to Katie asking her to meet him at the back door. He had the feeling this was something that would make her feel a _lot_ better if she saw it live.

Hank stayed in one of the back offices, one that was all but abandoned nowadays, and watched as Perkins bickered at someone down the phone. He really wasn't happy at something, and Hank could see the trio of Gavin, Tina and Simon hanging around at the opposite side of the corridor. It was only a few seconds later that Gavin and Simon left, the human detective giving Hank a wink on his way out, the pair sidling past Perkins without so much as a backwards glance.

 _The fuck are they up to?_

"Hank?" The lieutenant turned to see Katie approaching him, a look of complete confusion on her face. "What's going on?"

"Fuck knows, I just know that your boyfriend and Simon are up to something," he told her while staring out the window, trying to puzzle out why the other two were hanging around Gavin's car at the far end of the parking lot, clearly not doing anything.

"Gavin and _Simon_?" she asked incredulously, also leaning to look out.

"Yep, and they seem to have roped in Tina too. Gotta say, I knew Gavin had a vindictive side; just never thought I'd see it being aimed towards an FBI agent," Hank said knowingly, to which Katie's eyes widened.

"Oh he's not going to try and cross Perkins, is he?" Katie exclaimed. "I thought Gavin had enough sense to not get on the wrong side of someone who could wreck his career!"

"Yeah, but Perkins is just way too easy a target, I don't blame him," Hank jibed, which fell flat. He could see Katie was worried sick. "Besides, I can say nothing, I socked that bastard when it meant buying Connor more time even though I figured it was the end of my career. Not that I cared about it that much at that point, I know."

His gaze fell to the android next to him and he placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. "We humans do stupid things for people we love." Katie blushed profusely and offered him a shy smile, seemingly placated for now. "Besides, I don't think Gavin's gonna implicate himself too much here. He's roped in help, look." Hank pointed over to Tina and her perp on the other side of the corridor, to which Katie scowled slightly.

"Stevie? Why did Tina bring him out, aren't we keeping him locked up until we get a search warrant for his place?"

"I get the feeling that Stevie's about to earn himself a 'get out of jail free' card, courtesy of helping Gavin out," the lieutenant smirked.

Just then, the two noticed that Perkins let out a rather loud swear down the phone before hanging up. He then began storming across the car park, to which Tina uncuffed their perp and let him loose with a clap on the back, along with a quiet muttering that went unheard by Hank. Katie's android hearing meant she picked up every word, however.

"Have fun, Stevie. See if you can outrun those two while you're at it for a laugh!"

Outside the precinct, Gavin and Simon were speaking quietly on either side of Gavin's car, waiting for when Perkins finally got off his phone. Once the FBI agent was done, Gavin nodded towards the android, getting him to activate the auto-pilot on the garbage truck that they had 'hired' for the day. It juddered forward from where it was parked at the side of the area, cutting Perkins off in his direct march. As the man stumbled in surprise at the appearance of the truck, he swiftly found himself being elbowed in the back…

And right into the trash collected inside the truck.

Simon and Gavin sprang into action as Stevie ran past after shoving Perkins in, the human diving for their 'assistance' who then dodged, except it was right into Simon's path. He was quickly tackled and cuffed, but not without a subtle pat on the back from Gavin. "Nice work, Stevie," he complimented. "You'll be out tonight. Try and at least keep yourself out of trouble for a month, yeah?"

"No promises, Reed," he sneered, "depends if anything catches my eye."

"Well, here's a friendly suggestion. While you're out, I'd at least learn how to fucking run faster or try and grow another brain cell. Might do you some good."

As Tina collected their help to stick back in a cell for the time being, Simon scowled over at Gavin. "A little unkind, wasn't it?" he asked.

"Nah, that poor bastard burned most of his brains out on red ice years ago. All he's got left is getting a little fun out of us chasing him. If he actually knew how to run and hide, it would be a game I'd happily get involved in – since the shitbird normally can't keep low and always gets himself in trouble looking for a high, he lands in our laps. So long as he doesn't hurt anyone, I'm happy enough letting him out a few days early for _this,_ " Gavin elaborated. He smirked while nodding over to the trash lorry. "Shall we?"

Simon followed him with a small smile of his own, and the two were still smiling away when they came across Perkins just managing to scramble his way out of the truck: covered head-to-toe in various scraps of food, liquid and other decomposing items. His face screamed murder as he saw the two approach with overly friendly smiles. "Oops, looks like the Lieutenant got his days wrong, age will do that to you. It's trash day, today." He smirked nastily at the FBI man. "That's the thing about our work down here, Perkins. You've gotta watch your back, or you never know what'll happen," Gavin taunted before sauntering off, Simon right at his side.

"Connor says he appreciated the parting words," Simon told him with a grin.

Gavin snorted. "Glad to hear I've got the dipshit's approval. Makes a fuckin-Ah."

The pair looked over to see Fowler standing at the doors, a stern expression on his face.

"Shit."

* * *

It was another hour before anyone emerged from Fowler's office, and Katie was a bag of nerves the whole time. Hank hated seeing her barely able to concentrate on anything, instead stealing glances up to the office every time she saw the tiniest movement. Tina and Chris, angels that they were, pulled her into the break room for a while to stop her fretting. He wasn't exactly worried per se…but this was the second time their precinct was going to have a mark against them for a member of their force targeting Perkins in some way.

Huh, that might actually make sure the little weasel stayed away. Maybe a good thing too, Hank wasn't sure that Perkins would leave in a fit state next time – there was somewhat of a queue of people lining up to take shots at him.

The office door opened with Simon leading the way out, looking rather solemn, and an impassive Gavin right behind him. Katie shot out of the break room to meet him, but before she'd even got a word in, Fowler's voice boomed out. "Hank! Katie! In here, now."

Katie looked torn, but Gavin urged her to go with a hand on her back. He flashed her a small smile before walking out of the precinct. Hank met his eyes on the way out and Gavin smirked before flipping him the bird.

It can't have been that bad then.

Hank met Katie inside and the two saw Fowler lean up against his desk with an inquisitive look on his face. "So, do you two want to tell me anything about both incidents today?" he began.

They shared a brief look before Katie spoke. "Both, sir?"

"Yes, Katie, both. Namely, Perkins getting assaulted by one of our regulars, with some of our officers' blessing: and the encounter in the car park that preceded it."

"Perkins got all he deserved," Hank stated coldly. "The asshole started his anti-android paranoia and intimated that Katie and her brother could be stealing classified secrets due to their nature and relationship. I, for one, think he got off lightly."

"We've all seen what your thoughts of a fitting comeback to Perkins are, Hank, I ended up referencing that incident when dealing with Gavin and Simon."

Silence.

"…Simon?" Katie asked quietly. How did…?

"He volunteered to show me the footage of this morning, and some of the conversation required some elaboration. So, yes, I am well aware of the fact that it was in fact Simon that was here today. He was most apologetic for causing an issue." Fowler smirked. "I've gotta say, you lot manage to get into some right messes with your little prank war; and I agree with Hank, that yellow wasn't really your colour, Katie."

Despite the seriousness of the situation, Katie giggled. "Maybe not, I suppose I should be thankful that Gavin at least told me before work started." Her face crumpled again. "Captain-"

"I know what you're going to ask, Katie, and I'm sorry, but there was no way that I couldn't leave this unpunished. Perkins is a federal agent after all." Hank scowled at Fowler as Katie's posture slumped. "Like I said, I referenced the last time that one of our officers was involved with an incident with Perkins to decide upon how to proceed." Fowler's focus shifted to Hank. "You wanna tell Katie what you got for breaking Perkins' nose?"

"Three weeks suspension, but it was counted from the day of the 'altercation'," Hank smirked. "Considering the city was evacuated for two of that, it meant that I only really missed about a week."

"Right." Fowler spun back to Katie with a small smile. "I think a week's suspension for Gavin is plenty. You'll be with Hank until such time as Connor manages to get himself back in his own body; I'm assuming that it'll takes less time to correct that than a week?"

"Well, that depends on if Katie can get a hold of her brother," Hank told Fowler. "The whole reason behind this mess today is because we can't reach him. He's the only one with the know-how of the memory hub to switch them all back."

"Yes, well…it turns out that was not due to the reasons you might expect." Katie looked at Fowler inquisitively. "You aren't the only one with contacts in the FBI, Katie. After all the dealings with Perkins the first time, I pulled some strings to have an old friend of mine's daughter transferred to his team. She's confirmed that all your attempts to contact Richard were being blocked by Perkins himself. That was why our meeting earlier went on for so long, I was getting the other half of the story. I'll get in touch with her and she'll make sure you get a connection this time."

"That rat bastard," Hank swore.

"Thank you, sir. I appreciate that," Katie said sincerely before turning for the door.

"Katie." She spun back at Fowler's call. "You've been a very unfortunate victim of anti-android sentiment more than once while working for this department, and this is the second time it has come from a completely unacceptable source. The minute anything happens, you inform me. I will not stand for that treatment to one of my finest officers, understood?"

She blushed lightly, dumbstruck, before smiling gratefully. "Yes, sir. I…Thank you, Captain."

Fowler nodded as Katie left, to which Hank turned back with a smirk. "You've got a soft spot for that kid," he told Fowler knowingly.

The captain snorted. "She tamed Reed and made him at least tolerable, that makes her a good one in my book."

Hank barked out a laugh. "Please tell me you at least put Reed on paid suspension?"

"Of course. I'd have quite happily left him alone had the option been available. I quite liked his little revenge act, even if he got in some rather questionable help. On that note, Hank, make sure Stevie gets chucked into rehab for six weeks, a decent one. I know we probably can't stop the kid stealing shit, but let's get him off that crap going through him, yeah?"

Giving Fowler a salute, Hank left the office with a broad smile to see Simon speaking to Katie sheepishly next to Connor's desk. "Sorry, Hank. I kind of had to tell Fowler the truth to stop Gavin getting in more trouble," he said quietly.

"You're all right, Simon. Turns out Fowler's just plain amused at the situation," Hank reassured him. "You did the right thing."

Katie hugged him warmly. "Thank you, Simon."

He reciprocated happily. "Of course, Katie. I know we were all a bit sceptical about your relationship before, despite what Connor's said, but I can believe it after today. I'm sure the others will be looking forward to the footage." Simon smirked over at Hank. "Connor is asking what still you want for the wall."

Hank roared in laughter. There could only be one, really.

"Trash belongs with trash, what else?"


	38. Guess Who?

So…things have been a little crazy. I may have severely underestimated how much time was required in packing an entire house * _whines_ *. Anyway, I hope the wait for this chapter was worth it – and the part 2 coming up with it! Yes, there will be a follow on to this prank, you'll all see why at the end.

Shorter entry this time, but I didn't want to add more just for the sake of it!

Special thanks for reviews: **xNarielx, AnUnorthodoxDecision, Minecraft Guardiansaiyan** and **lordvaatithewindmage**.

* * *

"I ain't touching it."

"Well, I'm not going near it."

"Shall we just agree that none of us touches that box until Markus gets here?"

"Simon, that thing has been sitting there for literal hours! How do we know it's not a bomb?!"

"It's not ticking, that's a good sign."

"Not the time, Josh!"

North, Simon and Josh were all hovering around a box in Simon's research area – a box which had been addressed and delivered to the Jericho apartments early that morning. Since they had been out at a PR event, none of the Jericho leaders had been there to receive the package. It had in fact been Rupert who left it in Simon's lab to be dealt with later, but he hadn't really given any thought as to the strangeness of who was meant to be receiving it.

The trio stared at the label on the top, debating who was going to be the one to take the eventual plunge and open it when Markus reappeared. "So I've spoken to Rupert, and he says this isn't the first time he's had packages turn up here for Connor, oddly. He just normally forwards them on to the DPD – apparently Connor is aware that this has happened before."

"Seriously?" North asked incredulously. "Who would send things for Connor _here_? It's pretty well known that he doesn't live at the apartments."

"True, but no-one outside of a handful of people know Connor and Hank's address, so this is a good default if you need to get something to them," Josh added thoughtfully.

"But who would want to send something to Connor that doesn't know him well enough to know where he lives?" she pressed, still suspicious.

"A fan? I mean, we've had some funky stuff arrive here for us in the past, wouldn't surprise me if Connor has some too," Simon offered, earning a scowl from Josh.

"Much of the 'funky stuff', as you put it, Simon, has nothing to do with fans, and you know it," Josh deadpanned, which had Markus coughing awkwardly as North and Simon blushed lightly. "That's something I'm not going to discuss, anyway. The question of the hour is, what do we do about this?"

Markus scanned the box in detail – his RK scanners were a blessing at times like this – and he scowled when he saw the contents. "How odd," he started, earning raised eyebrows from the others.

"What do you see?" Simon asked, intrigued by how Markus was staring in utter confusion.

"Nothing, apart from the fact that there's another box inside, one that I can't scan through."

North, Simon and Josh all shared a look. "Wait, what-" North scowled as it clicked. "I get it!" The other three spun to her. "This is a prank, it's bound to be!"

"What makes you so sure of that…?" Josh wondered slowly.

"I'll bet you that thing is rigged with something inside if Markus' scanners don't work," North said with a smirk. "Someone's out to get Connor."

"Well, it is a sizeable list of potential suspects given the number of people now involved," Simon chuckled.

Markus hummed in thought. "But who would send something here? Everyone involved in the prank war knows where Connor lives, or would ask someone who _did_ know where to set as the destination of the box."

Silence. No-one had an answer to that one.

"…I'm laying bets on Richard," North decided with a snigger.

"I don't think so, I'd more suspect someone like Kara," Simon said while using his own scanner on the box.

"After what happened with the backup drive, I don't think anyone is that keen to try an ambitious prank anytime soon," Josh reminded them.

"Okay, smartass, then who was this?" she snapped at him.

"…Votes on calling Connor over to open it and see the results?" Markus suggested with a smile. He wasn't surprised that the agreement was unanimous.

* * *

One hour later saw Connor arrive at the apartments with some surprising company in tow. He'd decided not to sit around on his day off and had been enjoying a long spar when Markus' transmission had come through. "You didn't have to accompany me down here, Gavin," Connor told him as they exited the car, locking up before heading for Simon's lab.

"And miss out on seeing what has the Jericrew so intrigued? Nah, I wasn't going to pass this one up," Gavin sniggered as they made their way across. Connor rolled his eyes, but didn't comment further.

Gavin was surprised at the number of androids which greeted both of them as they walked past, but Connor wasn't. Both Katie and Gavin had become rather famous among androids after the events at Zlatko's club, though neither android had ever informed Gavin of this. They hadn't been sure of what his reaction would be, but Connor realised it was about time the conversation was had – especially since Gavin and Simon had stayed in contact after their little team-up at the precinct.

Connor was glad that Gavin was so much more comfortable around androids now. He wouldn't have thought this would be possible a year ago when Katie had joined them.

As they arrived in the lab, both men were surprised to see their partners there, they hadn't realised that Markus had contacted them as well. All eyes turned to the new entrants in slight shock, not having expected Connor to bring company. "Um, hello?" Connor greeted, unsure, though he was amused by the expressions on various people's faces.

"Hello, Connor, Gavin," Markus nodded in reply. "Seeing both of you down here is somewhat of a surprise."

"Well, the dipshit and I were actually busy when you guys called," Gavin told him while wandering over to his partner, pulling her aside for a quiet conversation away from prying ears.

"Busy? Doing what?" Hank asked incredulously.

"Training. You are aware that Gavin has asked me to assist him in advanced hand-to-hand combat, and we decided to continue the tuition since we were both available." Knowing that the conversation would make Gavin uncomfortable, despite the man not listening and being engaged in his own quiet conversation with Katie, Connor diverted his attention to the box instead. "This is it?"

Simon nodded from his terminal at the nearby desk. "Yeah. We've used every scan we think will be safe, but still nothing. Something is lining the second box and preventing us from going any deeper." He joined the others by the table which had the mystery object situated on top. "Are your scanners able to penetrate any deeper?"

"No, I've got the same capability as Markus since his upgrade cycle at New Year," Connor said while running his own scans, "but there aren't any fingerprints anywhere on the box either."

"So they're an android or wore gloves," Hank surmised. "No surprise there, someone wants to leave you guessing."

"Any thoughts on who might be behind this?" Josh asked as Gavin and Katie finished their conversation and wandered back over.

"Unfortunately not, the list of potential suspects is rather high," Connor sighed. "Sending the package _here_ is an interesting twist, but that would only leave me with one notable suspect." His gaze spun to Katie, who shrugged.

"I'm afraid your guess is as good as mine if it's Rich or not, Connor," she said apologetically. "Feel free to pester him if you like, he's sort of ignoring me right now…"

When Gavin growled under his breath, that earned a few raised eyebrows. "That sounds like a story," Markus stated in amusement.

"Let's just say we had a slight falling out," Katie admitted with a blush. "Since he's back stateside for a couple of months, he might have done this out of boredom."

"We know damn well what your brother does when he's bored," Gavin snarled, earning an elbow from his girlfriend as she stared at him.

Hank whistled at the venom in that statement. "Sounds like this was more than just a mere falling out."

Gavin rolled his eyes and let out a long breath. "Whatever, not what we're focusing on right now. Can't someone have just sent this here to throw Connor off the scent, or because they knew it would get a better audience?"

That caused a few of them to share looks, that hadn't really occurred to anyone before then. "Wait…maybe it isn't such a good idea for all of us to be in here," North said slowly, eyeing the box warily.

"I can't see this being another mind switcher or anything like that, I think we all learned our lesson about messing around like that the hard way," Markus stated while pointedly looking at Connor, who smiled contritely. "Gavin might be on to something about this being intended for an audience though."

All eyes turned to Connor, who just raised an eyebrow. "I'm _not_ opening it. Not until I know who sent it."

"There might be a note on the inside," Simon suggested. Hank and North both chuckled at the thought.

"Come on, Connor, it's not going to be anything that bad I'm sure," Hank told him with a smile, but the expression fell when he saw his son's reaction.

"Why don't you open it then, Hank? I'm sure if it was sent to somewhere with lots of androids, a human won't be at much risk," he smiled all too sweetly.

North cackled and started pushing against Hank to shove him forward. "Sounds perfect to me!"

"Get your fucking harpy claws out of me, bitch!" he shouted back at her before the two got into a shoving contest, North leaning against Hank while the human just left his full weight to be held up by the female android. Sighing in mild irritation, Simon shoved North enough to put her off-balance, which caused Hank to fall without his support. The pair fell in a heap on the floor, to which Katie and Gavin started snickering as the other four rolled their eyes.

"Does anyone want to volunteer for opening the box?" Josh asked, to which Katie sighed.

"Sure, I'll do it." Her progress was stopped by a concerned hand on her shoulder.

Gavin looked at her intently. "You sure about this?"

"I doubt it's anything harmful, Gavin, I'm just bracing myself for a face-full of something." Katie marched up to the box, deftly cutting away the tape to open the cardboard layer on the outside to reveal the thick black wood on the inside. There were no clues as to the sender or contents, so Katie took in a deep breath before she undid the latch. Just as she lifted it open, she ducked down under the table.

Connor chuckled at her move. "How very brave of you," he quipped, getting a tongue stuck out at him in return.

"Braver than you were," she shot back, taking the offered hand from Connor when nothing happened. They all leant over to look inside…

Only to find another box, again impenetrable to scanners.

"What's this shit, a box within a box?" Hank mused everyone shared a confused look.

Josh sighed. "Why do I get the feeling there's nothing inside after all this and it's just a massive ploy?"

As they all looked at each other again, Katie held her hands up. "I've already taken the fall once, you guys can have fun opening this one!"

Simon sighed and stepped up, wincing as he unlatched the new box before edging the lid open slowly. As it came up, however, he growled and let the lid go to snap back on its hinges as he found another box, metal this time. "Seriously?"

"I think Josh might be on to something," Katie suggested. "This is a _lot_ of effort, and nothing that big can fit in there now." It was true, the box was now down to only nine inches each way.

Scowling, Markus opened the next lid without much fanfare and they found another, plastic this time, box inside. "Oh for fuck's sake!" Hank exclaimed. "This is just plain annoying now!"

North flipped this lid, and everyone stared at the tiny metal box which she pulled out from the centre. It was only two inches wide, deep and long. It was eerily reminiscent of a ring box. "Someone proposing to you, Connor?" she joked while tossing it to the other android, Connor catching it lazily.

Everyone's eyes widened when Connor went rigid, his LED suddenly shorting out and he collapsed in a heap.

* * *

It took almost a minute for Connor to come back online, groaning as he did so. He was suddenly aware of how many people were around him and it took him a couple of seconds to make sense of the voice in his head.

 _ **Connor, are you all right?**_

 _I…I'm fine, I think. How long was I out?_

 _ **Only a minute, but your whole system just fully rebooted. It was horrifying to see you crumple like that.**_

 _I don't think I've suffered any ill effects, Markus. Would you be able to give me a hand up while I run a system diagnostic?_

 _ **Of course**_.

Now slightly more cognisant, Connor could sense Markus' interface on his arm and grasped back as the other android pulled him back up to his feet. Everyone bar Hank gave them a little more room, the lieutenant, pulling Connor close to look at him. "You all right, Connor?" he asked worriedly.

Just as Connor was about to nod, he noticed something very weird along the back wall of the lab. Turning his attention to it, Connor had a very bad feeling about what had happened. "Umm, unless there really is what I can only describe as a giant lizard trying to crawl out of that wall…Then no, I'm not," Connor told them honestly.

Everyone looked at him dumbfounded as Connor's HUD flashed with a message, his eyes widening.

 **[I WON'T DO ANYTHING HARMFUL, CONNOR. DON'T WORRY, THIS IS GOING TO BE FUN, I PROMISE.]**

"Shit, I think someone's just managed to hijack my systems," he told them slowly.

...

 _"What?!"_


End file.
